Skills, power, patronage major challenges facing manufacturing sector

Skill gap, poor border, epileptic power supply, and attitude of Nigerians towards locally made goods have been identified as major factors militating against local manufacturing in Nigeria.
These were the submissions of manufactures at a one-day summit with the theme ‘Effects of Made-in-Nigeria Products on National Development’ organised by Greenspring Communications Limited in collaboration with Bank of Agriculture (BoA), Innoson Motors, Med-View Airline and other frontline entities.
They say that if all government agencies and institutions are compelled to give maximum priority to patronising locally made products in Nigeria, it will go a long way in helping change the perception of made-in- Nigeria products and bring about increase in the Gross Domestic Product.

Speaking on the effects of made-in-Nigeria products with a focus on furniture industry, Odunayo Emasealu, chief executive officer, Interior Woodworks, said due to the lack of stable power supply for 15 years, he has been forced to run his business off national grid, which is affecting the cost of production and eroding his profitability.
While lamenting Nigerians’ continued appetite for imported products, Emasealu said Nigerians must begin to develop a new mind-set towards made-in- Nigeria products to enable the growth of local industries.
He noted that government should, therefore, discourage importation of foreign goods by banning all that can be produced locally for quick take-off of industrial sector
“All that the sector needs is the right policies from the government to strengthen indigenous manufacturers to produce locally made goods that could compete favourably with the imported ones,” he stressed.

Also speaking Rose Gidado, director general, National Biosafety Management Agency, called on Nigerians to embrace the use of agricultural biotechnology to transform agriculture and enhance food security.

Gidado said with Nigeria’s population of over 180 million, the country needs more food to feed its citizens and modern agriculture and crop farming through biotechnology hold the key to dealing with the challenges in food security.
She said that advances in science have resulted in accelerated development, including the application of biotechnology in agriculture, to improve overall livelihood, productivity, and food security.
‘’The promises of biotech crops can only be unlocked if farmers are able to buy and plant these crops, following a scientific approach to regulatory reviews and approvals,” she said.

David Ibemere