By Jude Opara
The Director-General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, has declared that the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027 is critical to consolidating the nation’s industrial transformation, attracting investments and creating jobs by harnessing the country’s abundant natural resources.
Ike-Muonso made the appeal on Monday in Abuja while delivering his keynote address at the second Africa Raw Materials Summit 2026, themed “From African Feedstock to African Factories.”
He argued that it would be more beneficial for the country to continue with the administration, given the verile industrial policies which would accelerate the establishment of processing plants and manufacturing clusters, thereby enabling Nigeria to achieve its goal of moving from a consuming nation to a producing entity.
The RMRDC boss added that major industrial projects, including battery-refining complexes and heavy manufacturing facilities, require sustained policy implementation to achieve their full potentials.
Ike-Muonso also warned against a possible policy uncertainty which he said could undermine investments and delay the country’s transition from a raw material exporter to a manufacturing hub.
He said; “To solidify these gains and complete the transition from feedstock exporter to industrial power, we must sustain this momentum, maintain policy predictability, and support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visionary leadership for a consolidated second term to finish the job he so courageously started”.
According to him, Nigeria could no longer afford to export its natural resources without substantial local processing, insisting that such practice deprived the country of employment opportunities, industrial expertise and wealth that ought to have been generated through domestic industrialization.
He identified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which provides access to a continental market of about 1.3 billion people, as a major opportunity for expanding manufacturing and intra-African trade.
The RMRDC director-general identified the proposed 30 per cent Raw Materials Value Addition Bill as a key instrument for strengthening domestic processing and reducing dependence on raw material exports.
Ike-Muonso projected that the proposed framework could generate more than 1.2 million high-value jobs, attract foreign direct investment into industrial the clusters and increase annual non-oil export earnings by more than $1.2 billion.
The Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Sen. John Enoh, also called for the passage of the proposed legislation, saying it would strengthen domestic manufacturing and enable Nigeria harness much of her natural deposits.
Enoh argued that Africa possessed abundant natural resources but lacked sufficient industrial capacity to transform them into finished products, resulting in losing to other countries jobs, technical expertise and substantial economic value.
“For me, this subject is beyond a subject. It is like a summons to Nigerians and Africans to wake up the raw material giant that Africa is,” the minister said.
Ike-Muonso also cited the Federal Government’s Nigeria First Policy, introduced in May 2025, and the Nigeria Industrial Policy 2025 as complementary initiatives to stimulate domestic production through public procurement, local sourcing and improved industrial competitiveness.
According to him, more than N644.9 billion was mobilised through the Bank of Industry in 2025, supporting the creation and retention of approximately 1.7 million direct and indirect jobs across key sectors.
In his remarks the Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council, Otunba Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, said Nigeria’s automotive industry could benefit significantly from policies encouraging local sourcing of components and materials.
He identified batteries, plastics, copper and other industrial inputs as materials that could support domestic vehicle production, particularly the emerging electric vehicle industry.
Similarly, the Director-General of the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA), Prof. Olusegun Ige, called for stronger cooperation between the agency and the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development to identify mineral deposits and improve their processing and utilisation.
Also the Director-General of the Pan-African Alliance for Small and Medium Industries, Dr. Henry Emejeo, described local value addition as essential to Africa’s economic independence and industrial development.
The event equally has the Minister of Mineral Resources of Sudan, Dr. Dayan Tahar, who identified local processing and refining, reliable energy, improved market access and measures to tackle mineral smuggling as major priorities for developing mineral sector in Africa.
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