Director-General of RMRDC, Prof. Nnanyelugo Martin Ike-Muonso, gave the warning during a public lecture themed: ‘Raw Materials Education and Sustainable Development in Contemporary Nigeria’, at the main auditorium of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Enugu.
According to him, the nation’s economic prosperity hinges on effective utilisation of the vast raw materials resources available, both human and materials.
Ike-Muonso, who stressed the critical role raw materials play in national development and sustainable prosperity, said that transAtlantic slave trade, colonialisation, and the exploitation of raw materials had contributed to the continent’s underdevelopment.
He, therefore, advocated the development of raw materials into useful industrial inputs, noting that “research and development drive innovation and industrialisation, leading to economic growth and prosperity.”
He also emphasised the importance of education on raw materials, citing its potential to promote value addition, reduce dependence on imports, and foster stability and supply chain management.
Manufacturers, he noted, should support raw materials education to ensure long-term resource availability, enhance supply chain resilience, drive innovation and efficiency, strengthen corporate social responsibility, and support circular economy principles.
The Vice-Chancellor of ESUT, Prof. Alousius Michael Okolie, in his address, represented by Prof. Nnenna Nwobodo-Nzeike, said that though the nation is greatly blessed with natural resources but the challenge is how to harness those resources for economic development.
