Trade Ministry assists 56 coys in production of sanitisers, ventilators

The Federal Government said it assisted over 56 companies to boost the production of hand sanitizers and ventilators to meet the need of the nation throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment has said.

It also said the Committee on Sustainable Production and Delivery of Essential Commodities, resolved about 121 complaints during the period of the ban on inter-state travels, out of which 76 per cent were related to the movement of manufacturing and pharmaceutical products.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Richard Adeniyi Adebayo, disclosed this yesterday, in Abuja, at the award ceremony for members of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) of the Committee on Sustainable Production and Delivery of Essential Commodities during COVID-19 lockdown.

He said the EOC was responsible for the monitoring of the transportation and delivery of essential goods across the country during the interstate travel ban, which enabled the government to reduce the difficulties faced by manufacturers, transporters, and distributors of essential commodities.

Adebayo assured that the government has put up quality policies to further support the manufacturing and other key sectors of the economy, to increase productivity for Nigeria’s rapid economic growth.
The Minister used the occasion to  commend members of the committee for effective discharge of their mandate, adding that based on feedback received during the exercise, it is now imperative that Nigeria develops the capacity to produce some of the products it needed.

He stated, “For the first time in our nation, we all have to come together to tackle the vulnerability that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed. The spread of the virus resulted in a number of casualties across the board, as jobs were lost, and supply was disrupted, which led to a shortfall in movement of goods and services.”

But our manufacturing sector continues to be our key focus, as our economy continues to grow. From the market intelligence findings, more than ever before, we need to boost local production of key commodities required.”
He added that, “Our efforts as a response team at the Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment have been recognized, and we have been mandated to lead the Presidential Task Force responsible to deliver increased capacity in local manufacturing.”

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Industry Trade and Investment, Mrs Mariam Katagum, said the pandemic had created a consciousness among Nigerians on the need for stakeholders to look inward in solving the economic challenges.
Katagun said, ‘’From what has happened during the pandemic, everyone was either producing a facemask or sanitizers, so what stops us after the pandemic to produce anything that we want to produce that we have the talent to do? This COVID period has shown that we can achieve whatever we set out to do as a nation.”

Also, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, said the government would do all it can to ensure that the impact of the pandemic does not cripple the economy, as it is more committed to producing and manufacturing home made products in a sustainable manner.

In his response, the Chairman of the EOC, Tijani Inuwa, on behalf of others, commended the Ministry for the support given to the team during the assignment.