The Federal Government has engaged industry stakeholders in the validation of a proposed National Policy on the Production, Importation and Sale of Non-Combustible Products, including non-combustible tobacco, smokeless nicotine and non-nicotine products in Nigeria.
The engagement, organised by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, was aimed at developing a policy framework that would promote investment, strengthen industrial development, create jobs and improve Nigeria’s business environment.
The Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Owan Enoh, stated this on Thursday in Abuja during the National Policy Validation Exercise.
Enoh, who was represented by the Director of the Industrial Development Department, Mrs Olumuyiwa Ajayi-Ade, reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to developing policies that attract investment, promote industrialisation and stimulate economic growth.
He explained that the ministry’s mandate was to promote economic growth, create employment opportunities, diversify the economy and generate wealth through policies and programmes that encourage investment, expand domestic and export trade, and support enterprise development.
According to him, developing a national policy for non-combustible products has become necessary as Nigeria seeks to strengthen its industrial base and respond to emerging global economic and technological trends.
He noted that the industrial sector remained critical to economic diversification, linking agricultural production, mineral resources, research, innovation and manufacturing to wealth creation.
The minister said the non-combustible tobacco industry had the potential to contribute to Nigeria’s economic growth, adding that the country was already among Africa’s leading exporters of tobacco products.
He stressed the need to sustain this competitive advantage by promoting domestic value addition, strengthening local production capacity and developing sustainable industrial value chains.
Enoh also highlighted the economic reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu under the Renewed Hope Agenda, saying they were designed to restore macroeconomic stability, improve investor confidence and create a foundation for long-term industrial growth.
He identified the Nigeria Industrial Policy 2025–2030, launched in February 2026, as a major component of the Federal Government’s industrial transformation agenda.
According to him, the policy provides a roadmap for accelerating industrialisation, improving competitiveness, promoting local value addition, increasing productivity and creating employment opportunities.
He added that the policy seeks to reduce dependence on raw commodity exports by encouraging local manufacturing, export-oriented production and stronger partnerships between government, private investors, financial institutions and development partners.
The minister further assured stakeholders that the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment would continue to collaborate with the private sector to promote job creation, facilitate technology transfer and attract foreign direct investment.
He urged participants to contribute meaningfully to the validation process, noting that innovation, stronger value chains and improved industrial competitiveness would help Nigeria retain more economic value locally, strengthen foreign exchange earnings and build a more resilient economy.
Enoh called for collective efforts to address emerging challenges in the non-combustible products sector and position Nigeria to benefit from opportunities in the evolving global industry.
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