Effective Legislation, implementation crucial for Nigeria First policy success – MAN
…Dangote calls for amendment of the Public Procurement Act to embed the policy
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has stressed that effective legislation and implementation are crucial for the success of the “Nigeria First” policy.
Francis Meshioye, president of MAN, made this known recently at the 5th Adeola Odutola Lecture themed ‘Nigeria First: Prioritising Patronage of Made-in-Nigeria,’ in Lagos, said the policy has the potential to drive national resilience, create jobs, promote technological innovation, and give Nigeria the productive foundation it needs to be competitive globally.
“Effective legislation and implementation are key and must be carried out without any prevarication,” he said.
Meshioye stressed that patronising made-in-Nigeria products is a rallying call and a national policy proposition that speaks directly to the country’s economic survival and long-term transformation.
Read also: Nigeria First Policy needs deliberate, inclusive approach – MAN
He said the recent developments in the economy lend credence to the urgency of this call.
According to him, to build a resilient, inclusive and forward-looking economy that investors will have confidence in, the country must re-industrialise, and that process must begin with deliberate support for local manufacturers.
“The Nigeria First agenda is not about closing our doors to the world; it is about opening the right doors to Nigerian-made solutions, Nigerian jobs and Nigerian ingenuity,” he said.
“Every industrialised country began its journey by nurturing local content and leveraging public and private procurement as an avenue for galvanising scale production and economic development. Nigeria must not go the opposite direction,” he noted.
He stressed that existing Executive Orders, 003 and 005, must be aligned with the Nigeria First Policy and fully implemented, enforced and monitored.
“Quite importantly, there must be consequences for non-compliance. We should eliminate the prevalence of selective compliance.”
“Now is the time to create the policy framework for transitioning the Nigeria First Policy from executive pronouncements to legislative imperative and ultimately to unfettered and bold implementation.”
“We cannot continue to allow policy inertia to undermine our development potential.”
Quoting data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Meshioye said that the manufacturing share of GDP declined from 27.6 percent in the 2010 base year to 21 percent in the rebased structure.
He added that the sector’s average five-year performance remains negative at -0.76 percent between 2019 and 2024, while sectors such as services and agriculture expanded.
He stated that while the rebasing reflects statistical accuracy, it also reveals a troubling trend in industry, noting that the sector’s contribution to GDP has declined sharply, and manufacturing has contracted in real terms.
“In essence, the rebasing confirms that Nigeria’s economy is bigger, but less productive and less industrialised.”
He said that despite the numerous challenges manufacturers are faced up with in the country, they remain resilient, delivering high-quality, competitive and diverse goods produced under extremely difficult conditions.
In his keynote address, Aliko Dangote, president and chief executive of Dangote Group, called on the federal government to back the ‘Nigeria First’ Policy with legislation that would institutionalise its implementation.
Read also: Nigeria First Policy should align with regional, continental trade agreements – LCCI
Dangote, who was represented by Mansur Ahmed, former MAN president, also called for the amendment of the Public Procurement Act to embed the Nigeria First Policy in its public procurement process.
According to him, for the Nigeria First Policy to work, it must be designed as a durable, binding national strategy for industrial development, capable of withstanding political transitions and market pressures alike.
He added that it should be anchored on both global best practices and Nigeria’s own industrial realities.
Dangote also stated that public perception and buying behaviour must align with Nigeria First Policy objectives.
He, therefore, recommended the launching of “a ‘Buy Made in Nigeria’ campaign, modeled after India’s ‘Make in India,’ to encourage national pride in locally produced goods.
He tied the success of the policy to the level of backward integration, which he said is currently weak.”
“To transform the economy, the Nigeria First Policy must move beyond declarations into actionable, measurable outcomes that prioritise local value creation and notional prosperity. This is crucial for our growth,” he argued.
