Abiodun: AFCTA will enhance employment opportunities in Nigeria

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun has said that Nigeria and other members of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCTA) stand to gain immensely from the agreement in the area of employment, wealth generation, food security and poverty alleviation.

Abiodun stated this at the 36th Annual General Meeting of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Ogun State branch, held in Abeokuta.

The governor stressed the need for critical stakeholders in different African countries to come together to appraise and review the process of the continental agreement.

“Our production base has continued to expand and we are harnessing the potentials of the manufacturing sector towards improving on policy formulations and programmes to internalise and mainstream African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCTA) into Nigeria’s Economic Development Plan.

He noted that AfCTA has come with immense benefits to member nations in the area of employment generation, wealth creation, food security and poverty alleviation, adding that it would consequently improve the standard of living of Nigerians.

He said that the MAN’s Annual General Meeting, with the theme, ‘The African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement and Nigeria Manufacturing Sector – Maximizing the Gains; Mitigating the Draw Backs’, was an important platform for a cross-fertilisation of ideas for the development of the manufacturing sector, which he said remained the redeeming feature for Nigeria’s economic survival.

Abiodun praised the Ogun state branch of MAN for being consistent in its commitment and determination to make the critical difference in its efforts to promote Made-in-Nigeria goods and ensure that the ideals of industrialising the state comes into fruition.

“The Federal Government has upped the ante on economic diversification and re-tooling the manufacturing sector for economic sustainability. By doing this, we will come up with improved and more practical recommendations that will make such international economic collaboration more beneficial to the manufacturing sector in particular, and the nation’s economy in general,” the governor added.