The call was made by Ayirioritse Okerentie, Deputy Regional Director (South East) of Dangote Cement PLC, during the Dangote Group’s Special Day at the 36th Enugu International Trade Fair, organized by the Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA).

Okerentie stressed that for Nigerian products to achieve global competitiveness, the country must prioritize innovation and research. 

He added that advancing the industrial sector through technology and development initiatives is key to staying ahead of international competition.

“Developing Nigeria industrial sector requires massive investment in technology, adoption of best in-class global practices. This is the best way for products from Nigeria to gain global recognition. When your products are of global standards, global recognition becomes easy,” he said 

He described the theme of the fair, “Developing Nigeria Industrial Sector/SMEs for Economic Advancement & Global Recognition” as apt.  

Okerentie said that Dangote Group was Africa’s foremost indigenous manufacturing conglomerate which believes that the nation’s industrial/manufacturing sector has the capacity to impact significantly on the economy especially in the creation of jobs, provision of goods, reduction in imports of finished products and adding of value to our raw materials.

”It is generally accepted that a nation’s economic wellbeing is largely dependent on the industrial/manufacturing sector,” he said.

He noted that the industrial/manufacturing sector is labour intensive and could create millions of direct and indirect employments for people of diverse skills such as administrators, accountants, engineers, technicians, marketing & sales among others. 

“It can also create indirect employment for supply chain actors in other sectors of the economy such as raw materials suppliers, logistics and transportation, farmers, and miners,” he said..

Speaking on Dangote petroleum refinery, he said the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, has exported refined petroleum products such as aviation fuel, Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), automotive gas oil, naphtha to many African, European, American and Asian markets and that the products conform to the Euro V specifications.

He disclosed that the Dangote Petrochemical Complex has kicked off the production of polypropylene, a major raw material used in textile, plastic, furniture and pharmaceutical sectors.

 “According to the Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (MAN), the country imports 90 percent of its annual polypropylene requirements (amounting to 250,000 metric tonnes), but will now become a net exporter, generating foreign exchange to strengthen the economy. We are optimistic that many new manufacturing outfits will emerge relying on both the products and byproducts of the petroleum complex as feedstock in their production processes,” he said .

“As a conglomerate driving the diversification of Nigeria’s economy, while we produce critical household items, some of our other products serve as either feedstock or raw materials for other manufacturers.

”The evolution of these mutual interdependent industries is expected to revolutionise Nigeria’s economy by creating linkages between different industrial sectors.

”The linkages will provide cushions to the economy, preventing disruptions in production as raw materials are available. Linkages are vital in sustainable economic and industrial development. We are envisaging a connected and interlinked manufacturing sector that will produce goods that are usually imported, and in the process create more jobs for the growing youth population,” he said..

Okerentie noted that dDngote Group’s participation in the Fair, apart from the exhibitions, is to seek connections with other businesses. 

The president of ECCIMA, Sir Odeiga Jideonwo expressed joy that Dangote Group had been part of the chamber’s success story in the hosting of the Enugu International Trade Fair over the years and had been major sponsor of the fair for the past four years.

“There is no doubt that Dangote Plc has added a lot of value to the growth of the Nigerian economy, operating in almost every sector of the economy. 

“The recent investment of Dangote Group into the oil and gas industry has taken the company to another level, especially with the positive impact Dangote Refinery has made on regulating the prices of Petroleum products in Nigeria. 

“We commend the Dangote group for this and request that the Federal Government should give the company all needed support to continue to bring smile on the faces of Nigerians once again,” Jideonwo said.

[TheNation]