The Federal Government, on Wednesday, commissioned the Orbit Galvanising Steel Industries Limited and Orbit Fabrication Works Limited, located in Lagos State.

The Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, who commissioned the project, described it as a landmark achievement in Nigeria’s galvanising and steel fabrication sub-sector.

In a statement, Audu praised the African Industries Group (AIG) for its ongoing investment in Nigeria’s steel sector.

He noted that this initiative would drive local manufacturing, create jobs, and enhance economic sustainability—objectives that resonate with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He noted that Orbit Fabrication can produce up to 50,000 metric tons of fabricated towers annually, bringing the combined annual production capacity of all tower fabrication companies in Nigeria to around 200,000 metric tons.

Audu said, “This plant, which is a pioneer achievement of the African Industries Group in the galvanising sub-sector, has further reinforced the group’s commitment to investing in the Nigerian steel sector with a focus on local manufacturing of different steel products through backward integration for the overall economic development of the country.

“I want to use this opportunity to call on end users, both the government and the private sector, to patronise our locally fabricated tower products because there is now capacity to meet the demands for quality tower products within Nigeria and the ECOWAS market. This plant currently employs about 350 Nigerians and will also save foreign exchange for the country.

“The commissioning of this project today is a testament to the efforts of the current administration to rejuvinate the steel sector of the Nigerian economy and enjoin other prospective investors to emulate African Industries Group.”
Speaking on behalf of the Chairman of the Company, Rajah Gupta, one of the Directors of AIG, reaffirmed the company’s long-standing commitment to Nigeria.

He emphasised that AIG, which has operated in Nigeria for over 54 years, remains dedicated to positioning the country among the elite group of nations that produce and export crude steel.

Gupta said, “We have made the largest non-oil foreign direct investment in Nigeria, specifically in the steel and mining sectors. To date, AIG has invested over $600 million and is currently producing iron and steel from locally sourced iron ore. Very soon, we will begin exporting locally manufactured BRI (Basic Raw Iron) to other countries.”