Amid mounting challenges of regional trade integration, digital disruption and climate change, stakeholders have pushed for policies to strengthen the country’s supply chain.

The stakeholders who gathered at the maiden supply chain conference, organised by the African Centre for Supply Chain (ACSC), argued that Nigeria must prioritise execution of supply chain policies to achieve growth, warning that weak enforcement and persistent logistics challenges continued to undermine its competitiveness.

Group Director, Supply Chain, Flour Mills of Nigeria, Cephas Afebuameh, who spoke on ‘The Supply Chain of Now: Technology, Sustainability, and Social Impact’, said Nigeria, even though it has policies, is bedevilled by the challenges of poor execution.

“Policies are good, but what is also important is goals. How are we measuring attainment over those goals?” he asked.

Afebuameh linked Nigeria’s most significant supply chain gap to talent, urging that the government fix infrastructure gaps that align with policies for a profitable supply chain sector.

The Director-General of ACSC, Dr Obiora Madu, stated that weak infrastructure and policy bottlenecks have kept Nigeria uncompetitive in logistics.
“If roads are good, delivery will be fast. In logistics, time is money. If you were using four days to deliver and you’re able to cut it to three, you have saved so much money,” he said.

He called for better power infrastructure, streamlined port processes, and reduced checkpoints, noting that corruption and sabotage continue to undermine supply chain efficiency.

According to him, “Supply chain is no longer part of the business; supply chain is the business.”
Looking ahead, Madu said ACSC would intensify advocacy by engaging government and National Assembly members, adding that supply chain issues will also feature at the upcoming Nigeria Economic Summit Group’s yearly conference.

Addressing key issues in global trade, Treasurer and Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce, Dr Omolara Akanji, warned that Nigeria’s supply chains are under pressure from tariff structures that increase costs and weaken competitiveness.