After several promises, policies and feeble attempts at reviving the local paper industry in the past, the moribund sector may get a lifeline in the Nigeria First Policy, DIVINE YUSUF reports.

Months after President Bola Tinubu rolled out the Nigeria First Policy, which aims to prioritise Nigerian-made goods and services in public procurement, industry stakeholders have raised the alarm over what they describe as the total neglect of the country’s ailing paper industry, urging that the policy be applied to it as a matter of urgency.

They decried the fact that the industry has been left to rot after the collapse of the country’s paper mills over thirty years ago, with the sector battling systemic challenges. They expressed worry that if nothing is done to salvage the sector, they would be forced out of business.

They added that rather than giving the opportunity to benefit from the government’s promise to focus on and develop local content, they are drowning in cheap and substandard imports that have taken over the market.

Expressing frustration over what they described as a wide chasm between government policy declarations and reality, they highlighted persistent regulatory inconsistencies and the absence of meaningful support for local production as key challenges.

A stakeholder in the paper production industry, Williams Sun, decried the state of local paper mills. He noted that despite significant investments in upgraded facilities capable of producing international-grade 50gsm, 60gsm, 70gsm, 80gsm and 100gsm paper, most of the printing presses are running far below capacity.

“There is available technology, but many printing presses operate only three to four months a year, and it is not due to a lack of capacity from paper manufacturers. We can run our mills every day, but publishers continue to send printing jobs abroad. Local printing presses are idle much of the year, and the market is flooded with cheap, low-quality imports. Most Nigerian textbooks are now produced outside the country.”

He lamented that most of the imported paper products enter the country without a quality check, bypassing regulatory scrutiny and undermining price competitiveness.
 
“The products are not only lower market standards but also make it impossible for local manufacturers to compete fairly. The economic loss is staggering,” he said.

Another manufacturer, Rajeev Kumar, warned that the unchecked dominance of imports would strangle local investment. He said many entrepreneurs who invested heavily in local production are unable to recover their investments.
 
“We are effectively exporting jobs and importing poverty. Every tonne of paper we fail to produce locally is a lost opportunity for economic growth,” he said.He argued that the paper sector, once robust and regionally competitive, is now struggling to stay alive. According to Kumar, the consequences extend far beyond economics.

“The collapse of the paper industry threatens educational access, job creation, national resilience and environmental sustainability,” he said.
Kumar and Sun insist that implementation is non-existent, particularly in the paper and printing sectors, where foreign dominance continues unchecked.

They called on the government to classify paper manufacturing as a strategic national industry deserving of the same incentives provided to other critical sectors like cement, steel and pharmaceuticals.

This includes the duty-free importation of essential raw materials and a ban on imported paper below 60gsm, which they said Nigerian mills can produce in large volumes.
 
“We are not calling for a full ban on paper imports; what we are asking is for the government to analyse the market, subdivide the varieties and uses of imported paper and ensure that tax exemption policies, particularly those meant for educational materials, are not misapplied in a way that undermines localised production. This is the only way to support domestic manufacturing and create a fair, competitive environment for Nigerian mills,” Sun said.

He further stressed that his company, for instance, can meet up to 60 per cent of local demand for writing paper and printing press paper by as early as next year if the right policies are put in place.
 
“We are not asking for handouts. We’re asking for a fair shot, for a policy environment that rewards productivity and protects local investments,” he said, hinting that with the right policy, Nigeria could become the leader of paper manufacturers in Africa.

Checks revealed that paper prices in Nigeria have surged by over 300 per cent in the last five years, driven by foreign exchange crisis, transport bottlenecks and rising production costs.  As a result, many local printers, despite having invested in high-capacity equipment, are battling low patronage.
 
“A lot of publishers are not printing locally. The presses are there, but there’s no job to run,” Kumar said.He proposed the establishment of a National Paper Industry Council to serve as a central platform for policy dialogue, technical collaboration and stakeholder engagement. With the right policy framework in place, he said, such a body could position Nigeria as the leading paper manufacturing hub in Africa, while driving initiatives on recycling, sustainability and the adoption of more modern manufacturing practices.

He highlighted that several domestic paper companies have already launched eco-friendly initiatives, such as closed-loop water systems, waste paper recycling and large-scale tree planting schemes. The programmes, if scaled, could align the industry with global sustainability goals and make Nigeria a competitive exporter in the West African subregion.

The renewed national policy also outlines strategic support instruments, including tax holidays, investment in public infrastructure and the creation of a central database of quality Nigerian suppliers. However, stakeholders regretted that paper manufacturers have yet to be integrated into this framework.

They urged the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) to begin active enforcement of local content rules in educational publishing, government printing and packaging contracts. They also recommended that MDAs be compelled to source paper products locally any procurement involving foreign paper be transparently justified and subject to review.

Another proposal raised was the introduction of a “special situation tariff” to discourage the dumping of substandard paper products in Nigeria. They called on the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to implement tighter border controls, improved port processes and regulatory oversight to ensure only quality materials enter the market.

 Beyond immediate policy corrections, they also called for a National Paper Summit where stakeholders from across the value chain would come together to chart a roadmap for the industry. The summit, they said, would focus on backwards integration, sustainability, employment and export competitiveness.

According to Kumar, the sector currently supports over 7,000 direct and indirect jobs, but with appropriate support, he believes this figure could double by 2026.

The stakeholders reiterated that the industry’s plea is not for protectionism, but for a level playing field.

“We are not afraid of competition, but we must compete under fair conditions. Otherwise, the best of our talent and capital will continue to leave, and the country will keep bleeding economic value,” Sun said.

He added that paper, though often overlooked, is foundational to several industries, including education, packaging, logistics and publishing. The collapse of the paper sector, he warned, would create a domino effect across multiple industries, threatening jobs and local content development. 

“If we let this sector die, it will take a decade and billions of Naira to rebuild and now is the time to act. Not next year, not after another policy review, but today,” Kumar said.