Stakeholders synergise to make local footwear competitive

Manufacturers and marketers in the finished leather sector of Nigeria’s economy are synergising to improve the quality of locally-made footwear and make them competitive at the international market.

The stakeholders, who converged on Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, on a two-day market-meet, organised by the Leather Product Manufacturers Association of Abia State (LEPMAAS) and facilitated by Growth and Employment in States GEMS 1, a programme sponsored by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), advocated for originality in product design to beat competition, from their foreign counterparts.

Ayotola Oluwaseun, CEO, Olariwaju Lagos-leather Products Designers and Crafters, who was highly impressed by Aba-made products on display, commended local manufacturers but said emphasis should be placed on improving the quality and consistency of the products.

According to Oluwaseun, a couple of the artisans he spoke with produce very limited quantities, because they run their production manually. He advocated for procurement of better machines/equipment to make them consistent at every point.

“I’m impressed with their products, because it shows some level of craftsmanship, but emphasis should be placed on improving the quality and consistency of their products, which is a key part,” he said, and advised the artisans to create their own designs, rather than copy foreign designs.

“Let us make products that scream Nigeria, so that when we take it to the outside world, they would see that the product is different,” he said.

Thank-God Injima, managing director, Nwadiche Shoes, Aba, encouraged local consumers and marketers to have confidence in local manufacturers by being proud of locally made goods.

Injima attributed the use of foreign labels on Aba-made products to inferiority complex, noting that manufacturers use such labels to deceive consumers, who prefer foreign made goods to locally made ones.

“If we cannot be proud of our own products, then we are encouraging our artisans and local manufacturers to use foreign labels on their products.

“I was surprised to hear a senator of the Federal Republic, confess in Abuja, in one of the trade exhibitions I attended recently, that he booked for some bags to be imported from China, but a friend of his informed him that he could source those items in Aba, which he succeeded in getting. But instead of being proud to say that the items were produced in Aba, he claimed that he sourced them from China, thereby depriving Aba and the country of the credit,” he narrated.

Gbemisola Isho, a Lagos-based designer and brand owner, who was in Aba for the first time, said she was in the commercial city to explore ways of producing a wholly Nigerian product at a cheaper price.

According to her, it has become very difficult to get Nigerian products to the international market due to competition as foreign ones, which are not necessarily better than Nigerian-made ones, are cheaper.

“Our products are made here and most of them are handmade; they are more expensive than some imported products,” she said.

She applauded Growth and Employment in States (GEMS 1) for facilitating the programme to encourage collaboration among stakeholders in the sector.

“I am happy to be part of this programme, because it will give me the opportunity to have a complete product that is made in Nigeria. I also came to find out if working with Aba artisans would reduce my cost of production and also compete favourably with similar imported products. Added to that, we are looking at promoting Nigeria-made leather products, because a lot of people do not actually know that the leather is produced here,” she said.

Jonathan Arome, intervention manager, Finished Leather Goods, GEMS 1, affirmed that the forum was organised to bring shoe manufacturers and business off-takers together to find ways of growing the sector.

GEMS 1 is working with Kano leather cluster to boost their productivity, increase their income and most importantly, create job opportunities, which is their main aim, he said.

GODFREY OFURUM