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GILBERT EKUGBE.
The nation’s real sector still reel under the yoke of unstable power supply which gulp about N2.6 billion annually from the industry, according to the Director-General, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Segun Kadir.
Kadir said this is affecting the sector adversely as he also lamented the border closure which has prevented some of the members from bringing in their goods to the country.
Unstable power supply have crippled many sectors of the economy including households who have since been forced to depend on power generating set for their electricity supply.
Kadir lamented the huge cost its member companies incur to provide power to carry out their operations, saying that it is the single most challenging situation the industry is facing despite the potentials of the sector to create wealth and job opportunities for the nation’s teeming unemployed youths.
The Director-General speaking on the sidelines of its 47th annual general meeting tagged “Improving value chain in the manufacturing sector for competitiveness and job creation” in Lagos, noted thatĀ “We must say that there is improvement and we are working together with government to take advantage of the Eligible Customer Scheme to be able to improve power supply to our factories”.
On the border closure, he said it was quite unfortunate that the federal government took the decision, maintaining that several of its members have not been able to bring in their goods that are stuck around the ports and borders.
“It is unfortunate that the government had to take that decision, but when it comes to security you must give it to the government that it is their primary responsibility to safeguard lives and property. We are conscious of that and we are in support of any reasonable effort that the government will take, but however, we believe the federal government does not have to paralyse economic activities while also protecting the lives of the citizenry. We can achieve both. We are currently in discussion with the government to find a robust way in achieving security without disrupting economic activities,” he stressed.
In his words,”We are in touch with the government and we are hoping that we should able to find a solution that would allow us to do our business while they are guaranteeing security,” he assured.
Meanwhile, the president, MAN, Engr. Mansur Ahmed, said this year’s eventĀ is about improving value chain in the manufacturing sector for competitiveness, growth and job creation.
“The manufacturing activities cut across different stages and it is important that at every stage of the value chain, there is enough capacity and support to integrate various value chains so that value moves from the beginning to the end. Very often, the people who produce the initial goods, do not make as much money when compared to the people who carry out the final processing of these goods,” he said.
“For example the Nigerian cocoa farmer will produce cocoa and sell it abroad, but what we find is that at the end of the day, the total value of the guy who converts the cocoa into chocolate makes 90 per cent or more of the total value while the guy produces the cocoa makes 10 per cent or less. So it is important for any economy that wants to improve its economy to ensure that every part of the value chain is maximised so that the value of the product and business is shared by all the participants and this means that we have to use of our local materials.
The more we use more of our local raw materials, the more our manufacturers expand, grow and employ more people and the more they create value as a whole. Made-in-Nigeria is not only consuming what you produce but producing what you consume and it is the best way to enrich your country and the best way to spread wealth and alleviate poverty.
BADEJO ADEMUYIWA has 23 years experience as a Finance Writer, specialising in Insurance and Investigative Reporting.
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