Nigerian Government targets 26 million jobs, 15,000 industries

Professor Peter Onwalu
The Director-General of RMRDC

Nigerian Government targets 26 million jobs, 15,000 industries

The Raw Material Research and Development Council (RMRDC) in Nigeria has set in motion the machinery to create about 26 million jobs and over 15,000 small scale processing industries across the country in the next 10 years.

The Director-General of RMRDC, Professor Peter Onwalu, made this known  in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital when the House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology led by its chairman, Honourable Akinlade Abiodun, paid a visit to the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.

Professor Onwalu lamented that over 80 per cent of the raw materials used by factories in Nigeria were imported, noting that there was the need to focus on the promotion of raw materials for processing clusters.

Clusters are the concentration of industries in a particular location or dispersed locations but joined by a network and carrying out similar operational activities, facing common opportunities and challenges such as using the same or similar raw materials, technologies, expertise and markets.

Blueprint cluster programme

Onwalu explained that the concept was aimed at assisting small and medium scale industries to grow and overcome difficulties associated with manufacturing. He explained that each cluster would include about 10 micro small scale manufacturing companies.

He stated that the council, in a blueprint cluster programme, enlisted the triple helix concept in actualising its objectives, stressing that it would stimulate the emergence of the clusters in three phases before 2020.

Onwalu declared that the council, before 2013, intend to assist in the emergence of one key raw materials processing company per geopolitical zone and the Federal Capital Territory that would result into seven clusters, with each cluster attracting at least 20 small scale processing industries leading to the emergence of 140 industries.

He noted that efforts would also be made to assist in the emergence of at least one key raw materials processing cluster for  each of the 36 states of the country with each cluster attracting at least 20 small scale processing industries culminating in the creation of 740 industries before 2017.

He further stated that the council, in its blueprint, was also aiming at helping to create at least one key raw material processing cluster per local government to attract 20 small and medium scale industries leading to the creation of 15,480 industries by 2020.

Onwalu expressed optimism that about 26 million potential jobs would be created through the programme if successfully executed.

NP/Adekusibe/Williams