To sustainably solve the problem of inadequacy of sourcing raw materials for local manufacturing, the Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology, Uche Nnaji, said raw materials development and research must receive better funding and priority going forward.
Making this known during a tour of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Nnaji said the council is one of the most important research centres currently and if the country could focus on properly developing available raw materials, it would leapfrog manufacturing.
He said that the federal government would soon set up a research and development fund so that centres like the RMRDC could obtain funds to develop research, moving them away from the shelves.
“When I went round the RMRDC in Abuja, which is like the one here in Lagos, I saw a lot of materials on the shelves. A businessman came from Canada to set up a float glass factory in Algeria. Algeria has silica but does not have soda ash which is an important element used in making glass (about 19 per cent). I had just finished speaking with the man after my Abuja tour where I discovered Nigeria has soda ash in abundance. The man revealed to me his desire to site in Algeria because of silica but I informed him that Nigeria has both in abundance and took him to the raw materials centre where he saw silica, soda ash, limestone and the machine that converts limestone to caustic soda and other components,” he said.
Expressing that the investor went on to sign an agreement to set up a float glass factory in Nigeria, the minister said the country would soon stop importing solar panel glasses as the new factory would take care of the need.
“The factory would be situated in either Lagos or Ogun states because of easy access to the ports. Very soon, glasses for phones, laptops and home use would be locally made. If we can get one or two more of these types of factories, we can be sure there would be no need to import glasses and the country would save scarce forex,” he said.
He added that this is an example of the benefits that can be derived from a thriving raw materials development centre, stressing that if the centres receive the necessary attention and funding, the real sector will turn around in record time.
The Director of the Industrial Plant and Equipment Development Department, RMRDC, Emmanuel Kwaya, said it was important for industry stakeholders to be aware of the raw materials the centre has available for local industries and export. “We have a resource centre where we showcase all the available raw materials in Nigeria, what they can be used for, what can be derived from them, where they exist in the country and so on. We put them together to show potential investors what is available in Nigeria and where they can be gotten.”
He added that the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) would have offices within the centre as their departments are fashioned to cater to MAN’s sub-sectors.
“We are aware of MAN’s complaints about the issues and high cost of sourcing raw materials, but this is about to change as we are set to improve on this. Our productive sector is not where it should be. We need to build our industries to become self-reliant and provide employment to our youths and this centre is geared towards achieving this,” he said.
He also called for improved funding and attention to the raw materials sector, which he said will in turn, positively affect the real sector as raw material sourcing with FX will be a thing of the past.
