From Mustapha Adamu, Kano
Manufacturers in Kano and Jigawa states have called for urgent reforms in electricity supply, taxation, infrastructure, security and industrial policy to reduce production costs and strengthen the competitiveness of locally manufactured goods.
The call was made at the 54th Joint Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Fifth Made-in-Kano/Jigawa Products Exhibition of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Kano-Jigawa branches, held on Thursday in Kano.
The event was held under the theme, “Powering Production Sustainability: Alternative Energy and Energy Efficiency as Drivers for Industrial Growth and Competitiveness in Kano/Jigawa States.”
In his welcome address, Chairman of the MAN Sharada/Challawa Branch, Alhaji Nura Safiyanu Madugu, said manufacturing, marketing, distribution and service-based businesses remained critical components of Nigeria’s economic production chain.
He urged governments at all levels to address what he described as the growing burden of multiple taxation on businesses.
Madugu said manufacturers were increasingly disadvantaged by overlapping taxes and levies imposed by the federal, state and local governments, particularly at a time when businesses were also grappling with high energy costs and foreign exchange challenges.
He appealed to the government to improve critical infrastructure, especially electricity and roads, and strengthen security to create an environment in which businesses could plan, invest and expand.
The MAN chairman also called for the sustenance and improvement of Pioneer Status incentives, relief on the acquisition of capital assets and measures to broaden share ownership in companies.
He further advocated the development of a formal Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights, arguing that taxpayers should clearly understand their rights and obligations and be able to demand transparency and accountability from revenue-generating agencies.
“Can we truthfully say that a fair balance exists between what is collected from us in revenue and the level of infrastructure that is provided in return?” he asked, urging the government to address the question through concrete action.
Madugu also called for greater consultation with MAN whenever new fiscal policies and reforms affecting businesses were being considered.
In his address at the private session of the AGM, Chairman of the MAN Bompai/Jigawa Branch, Alhaji Mohammed Bello Isyaku Umar, commended manufacturers for continuing to invest and create employment despite the difficult operating environment.
He identified high energy costs, multiple taxes and levies, inadequate infrastructure, expensive financing, insecurity, foreign exchange difficulties and unfair competition from imported products as major challenges confronting manufacturers.
Umar also raised concerns about the influx of contraband and substandard goods, saying such products undermined legitimate manufacturers who invested heavily in production and regulatory compliance.
He called for stronger enforcement at Nigeria’s borders and urged relevant government agencies to intensify the fight against smuggling, counterfeiting and the importation of products that compete unfairly with locally manufactured goods.
On electricity, Umar welcomed ongoing reforms and efforts by the Kano State Government and the State House of Assembly to establish a more effective electricity framework.
He called for the speedy implementation of reforms capable of creating a reliable, competitive and affordable electricity market for industries.
He also stressed that manufacturers should be adequately represented and consulted on policies and regulations affecting electricity supply to the industrial sector.
On taxation, the MAN chairman expressed support for efforts to harmonise taxes and levies in Kano State.
He urged the Kano State House of Assembly to expedite relevant legislation and called on the state government to ensure its effective implementation.
According to him, harmonisation would reduce the cost of doing business, improve transparency, encourage compliance and create a more investment-friendly environment.
Umar also urged MAN members to remain active in the association and contribute to collective advocacy efforts.
“Our strength is in our unity,” he said.
He commended the Kano State Government for initiatives aimed at improving infrastructure and promoting industrial development, while urging continued engagement between the government and the organised private sector.
The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, said reliable and affordable electricity was directly linked to product quality and regulatory compliance.
Represented by the agency’s Kano State Coordinator, Adeyeye congratulated MAN Kano-Jigawa on the AGM and said the theme was particularly relevant to the region’s manufacturing sector.
She noted that Kano and Jigawa were important industrial centres in northwestern Nigeria, with manufacturers operating in sectors including food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and chemicals.
According to her, unreliable electricity and the high cost of diesel-powered alternatives increase production costs and threaten the competitiveness of manufacturers.
She said stable, adequate and clean power was essential for compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices, particularly in pharmaceutical production and other industries requiring controlled temperatures and uninterrupted electricity.
She cited cold-chain requirements for vaccines and biological products, temperature and humidity control in pharmaceutical manufacturing, and uninterrupted power for sterile production as examples of areas where reliable electricity directly affects product quality.
Adeyeye said greater adoption of alternative energy sources, including solar, gas-to-power and hybrid systems, could help manufacturers maintain consistent production standards.
She also linked high production costs to the challenge of substandard and counterfeit products, arguing that a more competitive local manufacturing sector would strengthen efforts to reduce the infiltration of such products into the Nigerian market.
She urged manufacturers to view energy efficiency not merely as an expense but as an investment in regulatory compliance, product quality and competitiveness.
Dangote Group Backs Made-in-Nigeria Manufacturing
Representing Dangote Industries Limited, Alhaji Abdulsalam Waya said the company was proud to support the MAN Kano-Jigawa AGM and the Made-in-Kano/Jigawa Products Exhibition.
He said Dangote’s support reflected its longstanding commitment to manufacturing, job creation, economic self-reliance and local value addition.
Waya said the relationship between Dangote and MAN was based on a shared understanding that a strong manufacturing sector required effective institutions, constructive advocacy and cooperation between the government and the private sector.
He identified energy, infrastructure, access to finance, foreign exchange, logistics, standards, local content, market access and industrial policy as issues requiring continuous collaboration between manufacturers and the government.
According to him, the Made-in-Kano/Jigawa initiative demonstrates the importance of building local productive capacity.
He said every locally manufactured product creates economic activity across a wider chain involving farmers, factory workers, transporters, banks, engineers, distributors, entrepreneurs and government revenue agencies.
Waya highlighted the Dangote Group’s investments in cement, fertiliser, food, salt and petroleum refining as examples of its strategy to increase local production and reduce dependence on imports.
He also cited the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals as an example of large-scale industrial capacity developed in Nigeria.
He said the refinery, with a stated refining capacity of 700,000 barrels per day, formed part of a broader industrial ecosystem involving refining, petrochemicals, storage, marine infrastructure and logistics.
Waya also spoke about the announced public offer for shares in Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE, stating that the offer comprised 4.1 billion ordinary shares at ₦525 per share, with a minimum subscription of 10 shares, equivalent to ₦5,250.
He said the offer period runs from September 14 to October 13, 2026, and advised prospective investors to study the prospectus and seek professional financial advice.
He said industrial projects could generate opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises through supply chains involving engineering, transportation, logistics, packaging, finance, construction, technology and other services.
The Dangote representative also called for greater investment in the processing of agricultural and mineral resources in Kano and Jigawa.
He said Jigawa had significant agricultural potential in commodities including rice, wheat, sesame, groundnuts, millet, sorghum, maize, tomatoes and hibiscus.
Rather than focusing only on the volume of agricultural production, he urged stakeholders to concentrate on how much of those commodities could be processed locally.
He cited opportunities in sesame oil production, groundnut processing, modern rice milling, tomato processing, livestock, dairy, leather and animal-feed industries.
He also pointed to opportunities in the solid minerals sector, including the processing of granite, kaolin, soda ash or trona, quartz and iron ore.
He urged policymakers and investors to move away from raw-material extraction towards processing and value-added production.
Speakers at the AGM repeatedly stressed the importance of collaboration between manufacturers, the government, financial institutions and other stakeholders.
They called for policies that would lower the cost of doing business, improve electricity supply, strengthen infrastructure, curb smuggling and counterfeiting, and encourage investment in local manufacturing.
The meeting also emphasised the need to promote Made-in-Nigeria products and increase the processing of local raw materials.
The manufacturers said stronger industrial capacity would help create employment, increase government revenue, reduce dependence on imports and strengthen the economic base of Kano, Jigawa and Nigeria as a whole.
The AGM ended with calls for continued partnership among MAN, government agencies and private-sector organisations to create a more competitive and sustainable industrial sector in the region.
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