Manufacturers urge the government to address production constraints

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has called on the government to urgently come up with comprehensive policies that will address lingering constraints limiting local production in the country.

Otunba Francis Meshioye, President of MAN made the call at the association’s 51st Annual General Meeting (AGM) news conference on Wednesday in Lagos.

Meshioye disclosed that the AGM scheduled for October 17 to Oct. 19, 2023, has the theme: “Setting the Agenda for Competitive Manufacturing Under the AFCFTA: What Nigeria Needs to Do.”

According to him, the event’s theme was couched with deep reflection on the growth trajectory of the manufacturing sector in Nigeria and Africa.

Meshioye noted that more worrisome was the fact that the sector that should propel job creation, productivity, and economic growth was enmeshed in a series of challenges that constantly limited its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The MAN president emphasized the need for the AfCFTA window to be maximized in such a way that products manufactured in Nigeria would be preferred in terms of quality and pricing.

He noted that until the country addressed the binding constraints that made local products uncompetitive, the benefit of a continental market might end up being a mirage for the largest economy in Africa.