MAN, RMRDC foster collaboration for developing raw materials

The Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the Raw Materials Research And Development Council (RMRDC) have commenced discussions for collaboration to develop local raw materials for chemicals and pharmaceutical industries in Nigeria.

The Director-General of MAN, Mr Segun Ajayi -Kadir said this in Lagos on Tuesday at a Sectoral Dialogue Session organised by the Chemical And Pharmaceutical Sectoral Group of MAN

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the theme of the dialogue is: The Future of Chemical And Pharmaceutical Industry In Nigeria – The Role of RMRDC.

Ajayi-Kadir said that the collaboration would help the manufacturers in improving their raw material sourcing based on the information and research findings

He lauded RMRDC’s keen interest in ensuring the sustainability of Nigerian industries through continuous and persistent research.

The Director-General said that the RMRDC research was geared toward the localisation of some essential materials needed for the survival of local industries.

“The topic of this dialogue is apt and timely, considering the effort of the government to encourage backward integration. In MAN, we call it resource-based industrialisation,” he said.

In his lecture, Director-General, RMRDC, Prof.Ibrahim Doko, said that it was high time investors in the manufacturing sector partnered with the council for the supply of competitive raw materials.

Doko, represented by Dr Mohammed Buga, Executive Director, Mineral Materials Development Department, RMRDC stated that the giant strides recorded by RMRDC have demonstrated its resolve to actualise the mandate of local sourcing of raw materials for the industrialisation of the country.

He noted that the discussion with the chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturers was necessitated by issues of disruption in the global supply chain occasioned by COVID-19, the Ukraine/Russia War, and the competitiveness of the industry.

The Director-General listed other issues that occasioned the dialogue including Presidential Executive Order five for industries to source their content locally, scarcity of foreign exchange and the role of raw material origin for the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

According to him, RMRDC developed the National strategy for competitiveness in raw materials and product development in Nigeria as part of efforts to make industries more competitive.

He noted that the strategy was geared toward a gradual reduction of imported raw materials and products that could be produced in the country in the short, medium and long terms.

He stated that a committee which include MAN, RMRDC and other stakeholders would be established to facilitate the commercialisation of the raw materials and bridge the gap between research, result and the market.

(NAN)