President Muhammadu Buhari has assured the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria that his administration will remove bottlenecks and create a more business friendly environment to boost manufacturing activities in the country.
The President gave the assurance at the 44th Annual General Meeting of MAN held in Abuja on Thursday.
Buhari said that the step had become imperative in view of the fact that the manufacturing sector was well positioned to be a major driver of Nigeria’s economic growth.
He said government was focused on implementing necessary policies and strategies aimed at unleashing the full potential of manufacturing in Nigeria.
According to him, the administration will rely heavily on the association’s ideas and input at all stages of formulation and implementation of new industrial policies.
Buhari said: “The manufacturing sector is well positioned to be a major driver of Nigeria’s economic growth because of our immense natural resources and the entrepreneurial spirit of Nigerians.
“Government is therefore focused on implementing necessary policies and strategies aimed at unleashing the full potential of manufacturing in Nigeria.
“Our strategic plan to boost manufacturing activities in the country is supported by the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan and the National Enterprises Development Programme.
“These programmes present a clear road map towards an industrialised Nigerian economy.”
Buhari said his administration was working on improving the patronage of locally made goods and bridging gaps between skills required by industry and those provided by educational institutions as well as access to finance for Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises.
He said the Federal Government recognised that MAN and the other Organised Private Sector groups were key stakeholders in this journey.
He noted: “We will continue our engagement with you.’’
The President, who said he was inspired by the association’s commitment to a great Nigeria, urged them to join hands with government in making the ongoing government efforts to revive the nation’s economy a success.
He also urged them to ensure that the outcome of their deliberations would be to the benefit of all Nigerians.
He also stated: “I look forward to receiving a communiqué of the deliberations from this meeting.
“As events unfold in the coming months, many of you will be called upon to play critical roles in the implementation of this administration’s agenda.
“I implore you to avail us your wealth of experience so that together we can uplift our nation’s economy and social well-being.”
In his remarks, the President of MAN, Dr. Frank Jacobs, commended the Federal Government for its new forex policy of allocating 60 per cent of all available foreign exchange to the manufacturing sector for the importation of raw materials and machinery.
He also lauded the administration’s efforts to boost infrastructure across the country.
Jacobs also saluted the government’s efforts to end the activities of insurgents in the Northeast part of the country, which he said, had started yielding fruitful results.