Stakeholders in the manufacturing and industrial sector have called on the new Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, to actively and sincerely engage them to give life to the ailing industries across the country and address the incessant exit of investment in the sector.
 
Director-General, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Segun Ajayi-Kadir, told The Guardian that adequate stakeholder engagement and consultation is needed to improve critical sectors of the economy, particularly, the manufacturing sector, which sustains other sectors. He urged Uzoka-Anite to provide a meaningful platform for the manufacturers and government to engage to save the industry from total collapse.
    
He went on to add that they expect Anite to adequately support policies that strengthen manufacturing-related activities, including policies that will support and promote the use of local content by mandating the patronage of Made-in-Nigeria products and help in the areas of capacity building, funding, and attraction of investment in the manufacturing industry.
     
“Due to the current socio-economic climate, Nigeria’s manufacturing sector is struggling and more businesses are closing right now. In light of this, we are requesting that she focuses her efforts on reviving shuttered and struggling industries, particularly in the Northeast where over 60 per cent of industries have closed,” he said.
   
He encouraged the minister to deepen partnership with the manufacturing sector and take concrete steps to address the numerous challenges facing local manufacturers in Nigeria.
 
He noted: “At the moment, the manufacturing industry needs someone who can listen and is ready to work on bettering our situation. We believe that the Minister’s responsibility is to create an environment that is favourable for manufacturing, address issues unique to the sector, and work in tandem with industries to enhance Nigeria’s industrial development and economic growth.
     
“We desire a working relationship with her to engage and dialogue with key stakeholders in this sector to overcome the challenges troubling the sector through the formulation of favourable policies, improving infrastructure, facilitating trade, providing access to finance, promoting research and innovation, enforcing quality standards, supporting exports, and aid small and medium-sized enterprises growth. We are optimistic that the minister will perform well here and look forward to a working relationship that will grow this sector.”
      
Director-General Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr Chinyere Almona, said the struggle of the industry is well known and well-documented, urging the new minister to begin to quickly address the many challenges businesses and manufacturers in the country are facing.
   
According to her, many key sectors, especially manufacturing, transportation and the agricultural sectors have remained stagnant or recorded negative growth and she urged the new minister to focus on these sectors as they are key to controlling the country’s galloping inflation and reviving the economy.
     
Former MAN Chairman, Apapa branch, Frank Onyebu, urged her to prioritise manufacturers, have listening ears and speak on their behalf to the government. He said if the right environment is not created quickly for manufacturers to thrive, the sector is going to undergo a rapid demise.
  
Onyebu, who noted that their expectations are high, lamented that past governments paid lip service to the issue of diversification of the economy from the petroleum sector.