UK envoy tasks manufacturers on harnessing nation’s potential

As manufacturing businesses in Nigeria contend with various economic, political and social uncertainties, the British Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Nigeria, Hon. John Howell, has urged them to stay the course and maximise the scale of the opportunities that abound in the country.

Howell, during a courtesy visit to Guinness Nigeria Plc’s Ogba brewery, Ikeja, Lagos, urged real sector operators to channel creative energies in a positive way for the benefit of the country.

Speaking after his 4-day tour of the country, Howell said: “I have been very impressed with the energy that I have seen in this country, particularly in and around Lagos. The way forward is to channel these creative energies in a positive way for the benefit of the country. I have also been impressed by the size of the opportunities and the scale of the ambitions here, they are very absolutely fantastic.”

The British trade envoy commended Guinness Nigeria for showcasing possibilities and driving an innovative culture in the Nigerian business environment.

“The experience that I have had during my tour of the facilities at Guinness Nigeria and listening to the presentation by its key management has shown me how things can be done efficiently. Guinness is a thriving business that is responding to the market with lots of innovation and I think that is the secret to winning in the Nigerian market,” Howell enthused.

In his remarks, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Guinness Nigeria Plc, Peter Ndegwa, expressed the company’s delight at the visit which he said had afforded the company a platform to showcase its strategic commitment to the economic development of Nigeria.

Ndegwa noted that in the course of the company’s 66 years as an incorporated company in Nigeria, it has developed a strong reputation for supporting Nigeria’s developmental aspiration, maintained a strong focus on impactful projects across its host communities, be it in the area of health, water provision, environmental protection and road safety and profiled as the largest British company listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

“Our commitment to quality is visible via our people, products and processes. We remain strongly committed to strengthening the country’s manufacturing base, employment creation, manpower development and fuelling overall economic growth by strengthening our business through significant investments in manufacturing processes, driving local content development via our target to source over 80% of our raw materials locally in the coming years, and continued product innovation and cutting-edge technology,” Ndegwa said.