The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria has said the Federal Government’s Nigeria First Policy could help reduce the country’s reliance on imports and strengthen the competitiveness of locally manufactured goods if properly implemented.
MAN President, Otunba Francis Meshioye, stated this at a media briefing in Lagos ahead of the association’s 54th Annual General Meeting.
Meshioye said the Nigeria Industrial Policy 2025, which is the focus of the AGM, addresses some of the major constraints facing manufacturers, including skills shortages, weak local supply chains and difficulties competing in domestic and international markets.
He said implementing the policy effectively would help strengthen local supply chains, improve product quality and encourage innovation.
“You find the policy is not too voluminous, correct? But it speaks to Nigeria. It speaks to basic things, including skills. If you have skilled workers, if you have a system that is working, and you take care of supply chains locally, not situating it overseas, you have a system that makes it possible for us to compete continentally and internationally,” Meshioye said.
On the Nigeria First Policy, the MAN president said the initiative demonstrated the government’s intention to give greater priority to locally produced goods and encourage patronage of Nigerian-made products.
He noted that earlier measures, including Executive Orders 003 and 005, had also sought to promote local content and procurement, but said the creation of a dedicated Nigeria First Policy framework and implementation office indicated renewed government attention to the issue.
“You see, the fact that the government can say Nigeria First Policy speaks to the intention of the government. In our mind, that is telling people to look inward and patronise Nigerian products,” he said.
Meshioye, however, stressed that the policy would only have an impact if government backed its declaration with concrete measures that manufacturers could see and benefit from.
“What you want to do is to see that the intention is not living in limbo, not just there in suspense. Rather, there are actions that are going to back that intention,” he said.
He said Nigeria’s large consumer market could support increased domestic production and economic growth if local manufacturers received sufficient patronage and the business environment allowed them to compete effectively.
The association’s 54th AGM is themed, “Leveraging National Industrial Policy to Position Nigeria as Africa’s Industrial Hub.”
Meshioye said the theme would provide an opportunity for manufacturers and other stakeholders to examine how the National Industrial Policy could translate into measurable improvements in industrial production.
He also welcomed the participation of former Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, Dr Kandeh Yumkella, as the Distinguished Guest Speaker at the sixth Adeola Odutola Lecture scheduled for the second day of the AGM.
“Someone who has led such an organisation for a long time will no doubt have experience which he can engage us with, and can assist us in championing our industrial growth,” he said.
The MAN Director-General, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, identified high energy costs, foreign exchange pressures, logistics challenges and the broader policy environment as major factors affecting manufacturing operations.
He nevertheless said the sector retained growth opportunities, citing the resilience of manufacturers and the potential for increased investment if supportive policies were sustained.
Ajayi-Kadir urged the media to assess the National Industrial Policy based on its impact on factories, supply chains, investment, productivity and employment.
He said the key measure of the policy would be whether it could translate into a more competitive manufacturing sector and generate tangible economic benefits.
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