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By Merit Ibe
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has warned that the government should be deliberate in promoting Nigeria’s manufacturing sector because the operation of the African Continental Free Trade Areas (AfCFTA) has the capacity to either expand Nigeria’s economy for good or limit and jeopardise it.
The Director General, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, who made the remark in Lagos, said there is no doubt that manufacturing is key to national development and now that the country has entered the the AfCFTA, it was important that manufacturing leads the process of ensuring that the country produces what it trades in the continental market.
“Otherwise we will unwittingly create a 1.4 billion people market only for Asia, America and Europe to take advantage of it. That will not be good for our national development and continental integration economically.
“It is very important to talk about the AfCFTA because it promises to open opportunities for our economy and at the same time it can even limit, if not jeopardise our economy.”
He lamented that the complaints that the association was getting from its members showed that manufacturing is becoming an endangered sector.
“We are boldly saying that manufacturing is not like ordinary business endeavour. It is a deliberate choice that every country has to make since there is no country in the world that has become prosperous and developed without a virile manufacturing sector. The service sectors have limitation in the number of people they can engage. So, manufacturing needs to be prioritised and for us, it is a decision that Nigeria has to make. There is the need to develop a strong infrastructural base, as extensive, cheap and affordable infrastructure is vital for the success of our economy.”
MAN president, promised that the association will increase the output of the manufacturing sector and its contribution to GDP to 20 percent by 2030 and increase export of Nigerian manufactured products to other African Countries and beyond.
Meshioye also noted that in his tenure, the association will promote manufacturing sector employment through capacity building, new technologies and professional advisory services.
“Promote inclusive inter-industry linkage between SMIs and large corporations by encouraging the development of industry value chains, industrial parks and collaboration with academia among others.
