RMRDC urges stronger intra-African trade to enhance raw materials devt

The Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) has called for stronger intra-African trade and industrial collaboration to unlock the continent’s raw materials potential and reduce over-reliance on imports.

Director-General of RMRDC, Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, made this call during a strategic visit to Honeywell Flour Mills, a subsidiary of Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, in Apapa, Lagos.

The visit sought to create awareness and partnership on the forthcoming African Raw Materials Summit, as well as engage key manufacturing companies in discussions on sustainable raw materials sourcing and utilisation.

Ike-Muonso lamented that despite Africa’s vast deposits of raw materials, many industries still depend on imported inputs for production, a situation he said has worsened due to foreign exchange volatility and global supply chain disruptions.

The Director-General of RMRDC announced that the African Raw Materials Summit will take place from May 20 to 22, 2025, at the Continental Hotel, Abuja.

According to him, the summit would serve as a platform for stakeholders to share knowledge, discuss industry trends, and explore innovative solutions to raw materials challenges.

On his part, Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee of the Summit, Prof. Bernard Odoh, said that a partnership between Honeywell Flour Mills, RMRDC, and the public sector would yield mutual benefits to all stakeholders.

He acknowledged the company’s high dependence on imported raw materials due to the limited capacity for local production.

He further elaborated on the Legislative Bill on 30 per cent value-addition to raw materials before export, currently being sponsored by RMRDC, stating that its successful passage would help ensure that raw materials can be locally sourced and processed to meet required industry specifications.

Odoh also noted that the summit would assemble key stakeholders, including industrialists, researchers, and policymakers within the raw materials value chain, providing a platform for knowledge exchange and policy discussions.

He suggested that Honeywell Flour Mills could leverage the event to showcase its diverse products and innovations by participating as a partner or exhibitor.

While applauding this initiative, the Head of Site Operations, Honeywell Flour Mills, Isunoya Bonniface, acknowledged the critical role of raw materials sourcing in manufacturing, stating that it accounts for approximately 80 percent of business costs.

He explained that essential food products such as bread, semolina, and noodles rely heavily on wheat, for which demand is exceptionally high.

He further revealed that, although Flour Mills of Nigeria currently sources a small percentage of wheat locally, the company has, through backward integration, initiated partnerships with farmers in the northern part of the country to cultivate wheat and provide agricultural support.

He, however, pointed out that the variety of wheat grown locally is only suitable for one specific product, whereas their diverse product range requires different types of wheat varieties.

To address this challenge, he revealed that Flour Mills of Nigeria is actively exploring ways to cultivate wheat varieties suitable for processing into other diverse products.