From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has announced that the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) Amendment Bill, mandating a minimum 30% value addition for raw materials before export, will be passed into law by the week of May 26.
Speaking at the 2025 Africa Materials Summit in Abuja, themed “Shaping the Future of Africa’s Resource Landscape,” Akpabio, represented by Senator Abbas Aminu Iya, emphasised the need to industrialise Nigeria using its natural resources.
“This groundbreaking bill mandates that no raw material of Nigerian origin shall be exported without undergoing a minimum of 30% local value addition—whether through processing, refining, packaging, or industrial transformation,” Akpabio said.
He clarified that the legislation aims to boost domestic enterprise, create jobs, attract capital, and build resilient value chains, not to hinder trade. “We must reject the historic pattern in which Africa merely supplies inputs while others reap the benefits of innovation, branding, and global market control,” he added.
Akpabio commended the RMRDC for its leadership in research and resource mapping, urging a shift from exporting raw potential to creating value. “The future of Africa lies not beneath our soil—but in what we do with what lies beneath,” he said.
Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, described value addition as essential for wealth creation, youth empowerment, and economic sovereignty. “The Ministry is proud to support Nigeria’s 30% Minimum Value-Addition Policy,” he said.
RMRDC Director General, Professor Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, called the summit a proclamation of Africa’s industrial independence.
“Since the inception of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, his policy support has made our benchmark on value addition clear. The proposed bill aligns with ECOWAS thresholds,” he said, stressing that the 30% minimum is a standard, not an aspiration.