The Ogun State government says it will increase the use of locallysourced raw materials among manufacturers, as well as promote the invention and promotion of indigenous technology for industrial growth.
The government noted that the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the global economic had made it expedient for import substitution.
The state’s Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs Kikelomo Longe, said this on Tuesday during a familiarization visit to
the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) and the State Raw Materials Resource Centre (OSRMRC), Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
Longe said the state, in line with its ‘Building our Future Together’ agenda, would collaborate with the RMRDC and other relevant organisations to increase the use of locally sourced raw materials, rather than depend on imported sources.
She added that the Ministry would also partner the Council in ensuring the OSRMRC was upgraded for more innovations, while the Council’s patented innovations would be adequately promoted.
The Commissioner applauded the Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), National Association of Small-scale Industrialists (NASSI) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), for supporting the present
administration’s efforts at boosting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the state.
She affirmed the Ministry’s commitment to facilitate access to various government interventions, which would aid various business membership organisations (BMOs), saying government would support SMEDAN in the actualization of its ‘One Local Government, One Product.’
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Olu Ola Aikulola, remarked that the ministry, as part of its efforts to boost MSMEs, would continue to organise various capacity-building programmes to guide entrepreneurs on various opportunities and strategies they could adopt to grow their businesses.
In his speech, the state Coordinator, RMRDC, Mr Kayode Abiola, said the Council was focused on promoting and expediting industrial development in the state, based on available resources, revealing that the body had been identifying raw materials which could be used as substitutes for imported ones.
Abiola added that the Council would continue to build on its formidable partnership with the ministry and BMOs to support the current industrial growth in the state.
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