MAN’s NME-NIRAM Expo Laden with Priceless Benefits to Development of Nigeria, Creation of Commonwealth

The future of manufacturing and strategies for global competitiveness in raw materials and products development in Nigeria came to the fore as Sir Henry Chukwudi Eteama
Project Manager, Strategy Implementation Task Unit (SITU)
Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) unveiled the nitty gritty of RMRDC Mandate, Vision and Mission as well as the collaboration with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria(MAN) that gave rise to the Nigeria Manufacturing And Equipment (NME) and Nigeria Raw Materials Exposition (NME-NIRAM EXPO) writes Gentechnews Editor, Tony Nwakaegho,

 

Sir Henry Chukwudi Eteama, Project Manager, Strategy Implementation Task Unit (SITU) Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) said in his presentation that Nigeria is a blessed country with abundant human, materials and numerous natural resources of immense importance for development and growth of the economy, especially industrialization.

Eteama highlighted that Nigeria’s fertile soil and vast expanse of land area; abundant water resources; and favourable climate conditions combine to form sources of inestimable potential endowments, adding that the physical geography is a vivid account that explains the features of a great nation in all its ramification.

Nigeria, he said, like any other nation on earth strives to develop its local capacity with confirmed potential endowments and the extent of transforming such potentials to wealth creation for the benefit of society is indicative of the scale of national development ranking.

“Nigeria, a country of over 200 million inhabitants on a land area of 909,890 square kilometers, 13,899 square kilometers of water areas and variety of abundant mineral and agricultural resources, is indeed a great nation.

“The country is also blessed with favorable and varied climate conditions that are equatorial and semi-equatorial in nature. This obvious condition is characterized by high humidity and substantial rainfall, thereby culminating in two prominent wet and dry seasons observed respectively from April to October and November through March.

“The great River Niger rises from the Mountains to the east of Sierra Leone and flows for the first two-thirds of its 4,184 kilometers length outside Nigeria before entering the country from the north-west. It receives the River Benue, which rises from the Republic of Cameroun at Lokoja in Kogi State and then flows for about 547 kilometers into the Atlantic Ocean via its tributaries. Other important rivers with economic, social, environment and security implications include the Sokoto, Kaduna, Anambra, Kastina-Ala and Gongola Rivers.

“Our nation is blessed with abundant mineral deposits that cannot be found in any single country on earth, in terms of variety, quality and spread across the geography of the country. Some of the major minerals include- oil &gas, gold, diamond, radio-active substance,” he said.

He revealed that Agricultural raw materials by their sources; mineral and chemical raw materials are listed to underpine the huge potentials of the country awaiting orderly exploitation and utilization for domestic and global markets, adding that efforts of the governments, Organized Private Sector (OPS) and Academia/R&D institutions in collaboration, should be strengthened to unlock these huge potentials.

Eteama graphically illustrated that in terms of economy, “Nigeria is ranked first among 54 countries in Africa by size of the nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which amounted to 173.5 Trillion Naira in 2021 with positive 3.65% annual growth rate in real terms. In the period (2021) under review, Agriculture contributed around 23.36 percent of Nigeria’s GDP, 31.41 percent came from Industry and 43.79 percent from the Services sector. Currently, our economy can be described as a middle-income, mixed economy and emerging market, with expanding manufacturing, financial services, communication, technology and entertainment.

“Another macroeconomic aggregate that justifies the wake-up call for the enhancement of the local sourcing of raw materials is foreign trade statistics. Our over-dependence on import goes a long way to confirm the poor industrial and manufacturing base of our economy and the reason why we need to improve domestic or local capacity for enhancing industrial sector. This unacceptable situation must be of interest to the government especially the major stakeholders in the STI ecosystem to rise to this challenge and find lasting solutions.

“As a nation with abundant natural endowment, we are well placed to exploit/explore our abundant resources for orderly and sustainable industrialization that is driven by the manufacturing sector. Desirable sustainable advancement in manufacturing as envisaged for national development is expected to source essential raw materials.”
He hinted that given our enormous endowments and greater enthusiasm for Nigeria, the current administration of President, His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR has promised a renewed hope for Nigeria’s health and social welfare.

Accordingly, Muhammed Ali Pate, Honourable Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, the Ministry has Resolved to achieve three(3) key deliverables including;

1. save lives
2. reduce pains both physical and financial

3. produce health

The Honourable Minister enumerated four pivotal means of achieving those set deliverables to include;

1. Improve the quality of Governance in the Health Sector by;

strengthening Regulatory capacity

Implementation of the National Health Act, 2014

Consequences Management

Data and Digitalization

2. Improve population Health outcomes by increasing the efficiencies of our Health Care Services Delivery
3. Medical Industrialization (Unlocking the value-chain)
4. Health Security

It is apt, he said to amplify the issues of MEDICAL INDUSTRIALIZATION (UNLOCKING THE VALUE CHAINS) and highlights four components in the Honourable Minister address. These include:

1. We will focus on local manufacturing of medical products within Nigeria for Nigerians.
2. But we will go beyond just the production and look at the entire value chain – from research, to production, to procurement and logistics – to ensure these products and services have sustainable markets and can reliably reach our citizens.
3. Market shaping is a key instrument and Nigeria has over 200 million people which is a large market. We intend to pull that demand and hopefully use that to catalyse local manufacturing.
4. We will accelerate the production of more than 30 per cent of our pharmaceutical generics while we set in motion immediate plans to initiate the local production of biological vaccines which may require more time.

He defined industrial revolution as the shift from an agrarian economy to a manufacturing economy where products were no longer made solely by hand but by machines, stressing that in Nigeria, industrialization strategy aims at achieving greater global competitiveness in the production of processed and manufacturing goods by linking industrial activities with primary sector activity, domestic and foreign trade, and services activity.

He harped on the need to be focusing on competition, which is about intensely scoping your rivals so as not to be disadvantaged, while competitiveness is about growing yourself to be advantageously positioned.

He mentioned the historical perspectives and chronicled the fact that Industrial Revolution era are sequenced in order of;

• First Industrial Revolution, started about 1765 has coal as dominant, if not only source of energy.
• Second Industrial Revolution, started around 1870s had oil/gas as dominant energy source.
• Third Industrial Revolution, started in the mid-1900s, was dominated by electronics and nuclear energy.
• The Fourth Industrial Revolution, started by the 2000 and is characterized by the Internet and Renewable energy technologies.

He lamented that despite the fact that industrialization in Nigeria began by 1943, the nation remains outside the league of industrialized countries of the World, adding that History has chronicled the era of Nigeria’s industrialization efforts as follows;

• Pre-Independent (colonial) era 1943 to 1959 with major emphasis on coal and solid minerals mining activities.
• Post-Colonial era, 1960-1969, mining and quarrying, cement manufacturing, textile production, leather works.
• Oil boom era, 1970-1979, oil and gas dominated agriculture and other mineral exploitation. Oil refinery, rubber products, plastics, cement production, motor vehicle assembly plants.
• Decade of 1980s, 1980-1989, Development of gas sector (Liquefied & non-Liquefied ), expansion of oil refineries, development of aluminum smelting plant, iron and steel plant including rolling mills, fertilizer plants, expansion in cement production, mechanized agricultural production and processing of grains and oil palm & groundnut oils.
• Decade of the 1990s, 1990 and beyond. Down turn in industrial development with high death rate of key industries and migration out of the country necessitated by too much government in business and so much emphasis on oil and gas economy at the detriment of other vital sectors like mining of ores and metals and mechanization of agriculture. Nearly all textile mills failed, Refineries failed, Iron and steel mills (factories) failed, vehicle assembly plants failed, Rubber (Tyres &Tubes) processing factors migrated, aluminum smelting plants failed. Footwear and electronic assembly plants migrated.

He opined that sustainable supply of raw materials is fundamental to the survival of the manufacturing sector of the economy, noting that lack of sustainable supply has been the bane of the manufacturing sector in Nigeria.

Eteama recalled that the establishment of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) was necessitated by the inability of many industries to import needed raw materials and spare-parts due to the impact of the global economic downturn of the 1980’s.

“The Council was established by Decree (now Act) 39 of December 17, 1987 to develop local raw materials and coordinate research efforts especially in relation to raw materials acquisition, exploitation, conservation and development. To empower the Council further in the actualization of its mandate in line with the current trends and events, the Act has been repealed and enacted as Act 28 of August 25, 2022.

“RMRDC was thus established to primarily promote, support and expedite industrial development and self-reliance by facilitating the local sourcing and optimal utilization of local raw materials as input to the nation’s industrial development. The Council provides information which enables government to formulate appropriate policies for local raw materials development and utilization,”  he said.

He explained that RMRDC Mandate, Vision and Mission as follows:

• Mandate: To undertake measures to ensure the systemic exploitation, development and utilization of Nigeria’s raw material resources.
• Vision: To be an indispensable catalyst for industrial growth and development in Nigeria.
• Mission: To promote the development and optimal utilization of Nigeria’s raw materials for sustainable growth and development.

He also cited the RMRDC Core Programmes to include:

Local raw materials content development

• National Raw Materials Roadmap
• Boosting of Agricultural Raw Materials
• Raw Materials Quality Assurance
• Raw Material’s Deletion/Substitution
• Mineral Raw Materials Development
• National Strategy for Competitiveness in Raw Materials and Products Development in Nigeria
• Energy and Fuel Resources Development
• Raw Materials Information
• National Raw Materials Research and Development
• Investment Promotion
• Technology Development
• Raw Materials SME Development

The frameworks for industrialization, he said, are best situated within the ambits of national development strategies, policy initiatives and institutional / organizational development, adding that universally, nations premise their industrialization frameworks on seven (7) factors of industrialization including;

1. Natural resource availability
2. Capital availability and affordability
3. Labor supply- in terms of skill and training
4. Transportation systems adequacy
5. Consumers – especially disposable income and sophistication
6. Technological readiness
7. Government
8. Nigeria has implemented some policies geared toward industrialization and some are integral part of our national development plans. Key major such policies were the Import Substitution Industrialization (ISI) strategy and Export Promotion Industrialization (EPI) Strategy.
9. The Import Substitution Industrialization (ISI) Strategy was enshrined in Nigeria’s first National Development plan of 1962 – 1968. The Strategy was not just inward – looking and focused on the economic self-sufficiency of the nation, the Strategy also chose to promote domestic production of manufactured goods that were hitherto imported.
10. ISI failed, majorly because it led to the creation of assembly plants for the manufacturing of foreign products in Nigeria, rather than building indigenous manufacturing industries that produced made-in -Nigeria goods. Secondly the policy failed because it required a great deal of foreign capital, of which government did not show enough political will to support the industries with access to domestic capital.

It is important to note that both the ISI and EPI policies have been iterated in Nigeria in various subsequent development plans including;

1. Late President Musa Yar’Adua- Vision 20:2020
2. President Goodluck Jonathan -Transformation Agenda
3. President Goodluck Jonathan -Nigeria Automotive industry development plan (NAIDP) to revive domestic local manufacturing of automobiles.it is part of the Nigerian industrial revolution plan (NIRP)
4. President Mohammed Buhari – Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP)
5. President Mohammed Buhari- Inaugurated the Nigerian Industrial Policy and Competitive Advisory Council to drive an ambitious industrialization programmed aimed at;

• Increasing the contribution of manufacturing to GDP by 250% over five years,
• Making Nigeria a manufacturing hub in West Africa
• Diversifying the economy from its over dependence on oil.
• Proposing targets for national industrial outputs and investment across major industrial sectors
• Tracking the progress made on specific public and private sector initiatives aimed at transforming the industrial sector and meeting industrialization targets.

He stated further those problems of industrialization include;

1. Inadequate and high cost of raw materials
2. High cost of capital
3. High cost of electricity and unreliable power supply
4. Inadequate availability and accessibility of credit
5. Poor custom services
6. Poor infrastructure and logistics support
7. Lack of relevant industrial skills.

He argued that the benefits of industrialization cannot be ignored when considering issues and challenges of how to ensure that the country derives some expected gains and positive impact and listed  some of the major benefits of industrialization include;

1. Providing platform for international trade for import and export markets
2. Enhanced availability of variety of goods including raw materials and products.
3. Affordability of goods
4. Increased employment generation and job creation
5. Improved medical services
6. Providing impetus to urbanization and enhanced benefits of urbanism.
7. Contributing to development of societal common wealth and enhanced social welfare and prosperity.

Speaking on the issues of challenges of local sourcing of Raw Material, he said that challenges to local sourcing of Raw Material abound and cannot be taken lightly as major hindrance to sustainable industrialization key among these challenges include, but may not be limited to;

1. Very high propensity among Nigerian industries and business for consumption/utilization of foreign raw materials and product
2. Our emphasis on oil and gas to detriment of development of agriculture and Geo-extractive/mining sectors and businesses
3. Lack of synergy and strategic alliances between industries/business in Nigeria and the Academia/R&D Institutions in the identification, exhortation, value addition and adaptation of raw materials and products of Nigeria
4. Poor technological and scientific know- how required to Engage in fruitful and profitable development of available raw material potential in Nigeria.
5. Poor regulatory frameworks and policy inconsistency in the full exploitation of mineral resources other than oil and gas sector development
6. Inadequate business frameworks for commercialization of R&D breakthrough’s and findings for utilization of locally sourced materials.
7. Increasing insecurity in the several locations where agro and mineral raw materials are sourced especially in the farmlands, and mining sites and fishing areas.
8. Lack of adequate infrastructure to support raw materials development, warehousing and processing.
9. Poor emphasis in the curriculum of tertiary institutions for optimal acquisition of knowledge on ways and means of exploitation and development of abundant raw materials in their immediate environment/neighborhood.
10. Inadequate fiscal policy measure for protection of local businesses engaged in local sourcing of raw materials in Nigeria.
11. Lack of adequate incentive to business and researchers who venture into local production and development of raw materials in Nigeria.
12. Poor funding of R&D/Academia for optimal engagement in research and innovation venture for production of raw materials locally.
13. Lack of willingness to diversify the economy from oil and gas.

On Issues of Poor Global Competition Ranking, he said:

• Nigeria’s poor global competitiveness ranking is a worrisome issue and a great challenge to all stake-holders including Industries and Business, Academia/R&D Institutions and Governments. Despite marginal improving in our global competitiveness between 2010/2011 to 2022, the outlook in the world and continental Africa is so poor and unacceptable.
• Overall Nigeria is ranked 127 OUT OF 133 countries in the world by 2010/2011 and by 2014/2015 the situation appears to remain constant or slightly diminished up to 2016/2017. Slight improvement is recorded between 2017/2018 and 2022 when global country reports show Nigeria move from 127 position to 144 in 2016/2017 to 2022 respectively.
• Some major challenges identified by the study include: inadequate infrastructure, weak institutions, corruption, limited access to financing, policy, instability, inefficient government bureaucracy, poor work ethics among national labor force etc.

However, he explained that all over the world, nations strive towards the zenith of industrialization for sustainable development and growth by leveraging on local sourcing of raw materials for powering their industrial activities in a manner that reduces their needs of foreign raw materials.

There in Industrialization, he stated that we need to support, encourage and stimulate the following;

1. Lay emphasis on indigenous industrialization whereby industries and businesses are in strategic alliances with the academia and R&D institutes.
2. Leveraging the power of STI for value-addition in raw materials development, supply and utilization for domestic and global markets.
3. Redirect and focus on the new paradigm of R&D that industry and services demand-driven, need-based and problem-solving as distinct from R&D that are majorly for teaching, learning and promotion.
4. Strategic framework aimed at achieving global competitiveness in the production of processed and manufactured goods by linking industrial activities with primary sectors’ activities, domestic and foreign trade.
5. Standardization of products of SMEs and application of R&D to enhance indigenous technologies.
6. Develop industrial-support infrastructure, especially electric power supply, roads, and railway system of transportation
7. Intensify Human capacity building, skill acquisition and institutional capacity development
8. Modernize and upgrade custom services
9. Provide access to capital and incentives for investment in industrialization.
10. Engage in the fundamental principles of the 4^th Industrial Revolution with emphasis on indigenous industrial development.
11. Encourage earlier implementation of the national development master plan for development of Nigeria’s blue economy.

Also speaking on repositioning and strengthening the Pharmaceutical Industry Ecosystem, he stated that repositioning and strengthening the pharmaceutical Industry ecosystem in general and specifically the Tertiary Academic/R&D Institutions, Government Regulatory bodies & Development Partners are being done through;

1. Adoption of Appropriate Strategic Elements and Factors for Production of Result-based Management Logical Framework (RMLF).
2. Paradigm shift from R&D and inventions for promotion, and acquisition of certificates to R&D and innovation that is industry and services demand-driven, problem-solving, and need-based.
3. Breaking the jinx on commercialization of R&D breaking and funds by RMRDC establishment and development of pilot plants in key areas of raw materials and products

He advocated for the adoption of Ten strategic element and four strategic factors as follows:

• Competitiveness Advocacy

Advocacy is key to the successful implementation of policies, programmes and projects, especially when elements of paradigm are involved. It is among few strategic elements that flows in a ghant chart from inception of any programme through its life span to the end. It includes publicity, media education, stakeholders’ engagement and sensitization among several others.

• Legal and Policy Frameworks

The need for legal authority as enabler to protect and grant legitimacy of actions, system development and acquisition of critical structures and logistics cannot be over emphasized. Policy provides frameworks for guided directions, pathways, milestones and strategic visioning, conceptualizations of core values and enabling fundamental principles. We must try to minimize or completely delete the culture of policy summersault that characterize the industrial sector.

• Institutional Development and Organizational Arrangements

Strong institutional development mechanisms are critical in every effort towards attainment of set goal, mandates and objectives of such national strategies that tend to attain global competitiveness imperatives. Our institutions are weak as shown in the World Economic Forum, Report on Countries global competitiveness ranking.

Organizational arrangements is essential to guarantee harmony within the industrial ecosystem that is transiting to knowledge-driven economy with emerging new stakeholders. Hence the need for effective and strong coordination platform in support of result-oriented collaboration, cooperation, linkages, networking and teamwork required for attainment of desired prime global position in the emerging 4th Industrial Revolution.

• Human Resource Development.

Human capital requirement in the health industrial sector, especially for production of medicine/vaccines is unique; experts are scarce relative to their demand; and need for regular skill enhancement training is vital. The Labour force in this sector require adequate remuneration, moral upliftment and ample motivation.

There should be regular exchange of professionals between industry and tertiary academic institutions.

• Infrastructure Development

Nigerian industrial development and attainment of enhanced global competitiveness ranking will be constrained due to high levels of infrastructure deficit and inadequacies. Power supply shortage is a major constraint factor coupled with poor rail, air, road, communication networks. Problem of water supply shortage, inefficient ports services lead to high cost of production and inability of our industries to compete in the global market.

• Research and Development (R&D)

Emphasis should focus more on need-based, problem-solving and Demand-driven R&D policy, programmes and Projects. There should be a new paradigm that de-emphasis R&D for certificates, promotion and self-aggrandizement.

Research and Development for production of vaccines and medicines should consider strategic partnership arrangements with key universities, Nigerian diaspora scientists and experts. Research and Development for manufacturing of medicines/vaccines should focus on local sources of raw materials from local medicinal herbs, soils, seeds, roots etc. Traditional technologies and systems of medicine development should be enhanced and modernized with necessary STI enable R&D in all stages of the value-chain.

• Industries and Business Development.
• The over one hundred manufacturers of pharmaceutical products in Nigeria should be encouraged with ample incentives to source most inputs from improved local producers and when necessary, support import of essential inputs. local capacity enhancement should be a deliberate policy of government in promoting attractive level of credit to industries, favourable tariff regime and recognition of performing scientists, institutions and businesses for reward.
• Our Regulatory Frameworks should emphasis conformity to standards in all aspects of the National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) associated with medicine/vaccine product development, manufacturing and marketing. While conducting conformity assessment exercises, regulatory establishments should be mindful of the need to strike delicate balance between business survival tendencies (profitablility, production, markets, etc) and societal concerns (safety, hazard, risk, etc)
• To attain global competitiveness in manufacturing pharmaceutical products for international and local markets, the tools of conformity assessment used by in-country regulators should be subject to third-party world-class conformity assessment body recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and or other United Nations Organization (UNO) Body with Mandate in standardization, metrology and conformity assessment. Hence, certification and accreditation of systems, processes and products issued to medicines/vaccines for use by people and animals would command integrity, respect and confidence.
• Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)
• Monitoring and Evaluation in the pharma ecosystem goes to include performance measurement, monitoring compliance, evaluating conformance and reporting as feedback for promotion action.
• Well established Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) that emphasises Pharmaceutical Quality System (PQS) and quality improvement processes with Quality Assurance (QA) as the guiding principle. These will definitely impact on the quality of finished pharmaceutical products.
• M&E is crucial in production of medicines/vaccines with very low tolerance limit of error because life of human being is at risk in the event of consumption/use of low quality or adulterated products.
• M&E should be strengthened with appropriate toolbox for conduct/test systems, process and products at all stages of manufacturing including storage, marketing and dispensing.
• Monitoring and Evaluation is based on well-established mean points of targets, varying degrees of tolerance for specific action and decision making on whether to continue; interrupt or stop production operations. It provides the basis for rejection of products or certification. As usually said, that medicines/vaccines are calculated “poison”. Therefore, zero tolerance is adopted as redline on errors associated with over dosage, calibrations of metrology, standard procedures and established norms.
• Data Development and Management
• Data provides knowledge related to every activity towards pharmaceutical products development, manufacturing and marketing. Indeed, without data, it is difficult to evaluate current situation of both systems, process, products and consumers of the products.
• Demographic and economic data help develop and establish appropriate plant size for investment. it helps in measurement of existing potentials, weakness and opportunities of the pharma ecosystem. Hence without data, adequate business plan cannot be guaranteed and most decision would be based on speculation and guess work.
• Funding and Financing Arrangements
• Due to the peculiar nature of the pharmaceutical industrial sector, nations provide adequate funding in support of R&D, human capital development programmes and provision of strategic infrastructure to ensure sustained manufacturing of medicines/vaccines in the country. Less emphasis is usually placed on market of demand & supply forces alone in price determination, while subsidies are provided to keep medicines/vaccines manufacturing industry in operation. By guaranteeing bulk purchase for wider access through effective and secured distributive channels, storage facility development and channels of dispensing medicines and vaccines, funding and financing is achieved in sustainable manner.

He pointed out that government all over the world do not allow incidence of low level of pharmaceutical product capacity and over dependence on other nations through massive importation.

• COVID 19 Pandemic era provided good lessons of possible period of global lock down whereby nations depend majorly on local capacities to survive. Therefore availability, accessibility and affordability of medicines/vaccines in Nigeria should be given both executive and legislative attention in funding and financing both industries and businesses and guarantee price stability in tandem with citizen purchasing power for medicines/vaccines in the same way we clamor for food and nutrition security.
• New pharmaceutical industries should be granted long period of tax holidays and fiscal policy protection measure for survival and growth. Industrial Estates with adequate infrastructure and utility logistics should be owned and managed by Organized Private Sector (OPS) Bodies/Association but funded with Trust funds, credits, grants, donations from Entrepreneurs, Industries & Businesses, Governments, Development Partners and other stakeholders.

Speaking on RMRDC National Technology and Innovation Centre (R&D Pilot Plants and Engineering Fabrication Centre), he said that breaking the jinx on commercialization of R&D breaking and funds by RMRDC establishment and development of pilot plants in key areas of raw materials and products to close some gaps identified in the pharmaceutical sectors. These Pilot plants includes but may not be limited to the following;

1. Pilot Plant for the Production of Pharmaceutical Grade Starch and Glucose Syrup
2. Pilot Plant for the Production of Glucose Syrup and Ethanol from Sweet Sorghum
3. Pilot Plant for the Production of Pharmaceutical Grade Talc
4. Pilot Plant for the Production of Sugar from Sugar Beet
5. Pilot Plant for the Production of Sorbitol
6. Artemisia annua Pilot Plant
7. Essential Oils Pilot Plant

The Project Manager, Strategy Implementation Task Unit (SITU) Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) stated that this effort by Manufacturer’s Association of Nigeria (MAN) to organize the 7^th Nigeria Manufacturing and Equipment (NME) Co-located with Nigeria Raw Materials Exposition (NME-NIRAM Expo) with Theme- Future of Manufacturing is laden with priceless benefits to the development of Nigeria and creation of our commonwealth.

In his words: “There is urgent need for Nigeria’s manufacturing industry space to accommodate the knowledge realm-especially the Universities, Polytechnics and R&D Institutions in a Strategic alliances for the mutual benefits of all stakeholders in the emerging knowledge economy.

“Special attention should be paid to national pharmaceutical security with progressive enhancement of domestic production of medicines/vaccines and deliberate policy of incremental reduction in excess importation of pharmaceutical products.

“Nigeria should imbibe the culture of quality services delivery in the health sectors and encourage domestic National Quality Infrastructure within the medicine/vaccine production/supply value-chains.”

“Global Competitiveness imperatives should be the driving force in our manufacturing ecosystem in the pursuit of the 4th Industrial Revolution that us now at our door step.”