Raw Materials Council steps up local industrialisation drive

By Stanley Onyekwere

The Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) is stepping up efforts to upscale home grown industrialisation drive of the Federal government, the officials of the Council said yesterday.
The management of the Council took media men on a tour of facilities in Abuja to see the innovations and other machines locally fabricated by Nigerian engineers to fast track home-based industrial growth.
The RMRDC, a parastatal under the supervision of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation was established to promote, support and expedite industrial development and self reliance through optimal utilisation of local raw materials as inputs to the nation’s industries.
The Director, Corporate Services Department, Chuks Ngaha, and other senior officials of the Council conducted newsmen round the facilities in three different locations in the FCT.
At the Council Headquarters in Maitama Abuja, several products were displayed on the shelf, including the technology for kilishi (dried meat drier), Shea butter production and other raw materials which technology were developed and certified for commercial production.
The tour also included a visit to the laboratory where the testing and certification of the raw materials and other natural resources are carried out.
The responsibility of the laboratory is to confirm whether the raw materials are up to standard or meet the required specification for industrial use.
The laboratory also ensures that only raw materials that can compete nationally and globally are certified, as part of the National strategy for competitiveness.