The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) says that it requires more attention on the economy and manufacturing sector from candidates in the forthcoming 2019 general elections.
Mr Mansur Mohammed, the MAN President, made the observation on Wednesday in Lagos during the MAN Annual Media Luncheon and Awards for correspondents covering the industry.
He said that the candidates should reveal their strategies to improve opportunities for manufacturers and boost the country’s investment environment.
According to him, measures to mitigate challenges confronting manufacturing sector, especially infrastructure and access to foreign exchange should be addressed.
He said that most of the candidates were not addressing these issues in their debates and campaigns.
The MAN boss urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to improve access to foreign exchange for manufacturers, adding that some manufacturers complained about inability to access foreign exchange through the CBN special window for manufacturers.
Ahmed said that the association would focus on enhancing its influence on moderating economic, industrial, trade and other policies that were germane to survival of the manufacturing sector.
He said that MAN had evolved strategies to substantially improve the contribution of the manufacturing sector to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from the current 9.5 per cent to 15 per cent in the next three years.
Ahmed said this was also to “appreciably increase the capacity utilisation of member-companies by promoting policy consistency in a manner that the gains already made are not pulled back while ensuring the revival of sectors that are currently struggling.”
This will also promote a more inclusive economy among all categories of companies in the membership of MAN through the establishment of structured and mutually beneficial linkages between the large corporations group and Small & Medium Industries.
The strategies are also to expand the scope of strategic partnership with relevant organisations within Nigeria, West Africa, Africa and outside the African Continent.
Ahmed also said that efforts were on to strategically position the association to play a leading role in the emerging integration aspiration of the West African Region and the African Continent.
“It is important to inform you that the association is already making contributions at the continental level.
“As you may be aware, MAN has been given a leading role in the establishment of African Manufacturers Association (AMA).
“I was appointed the Chairman of the interim Committee saddled with the responsibility of birthing this Pan-African body that would provide the platform for African manufacturers to collectively address the challenges confronting sustainable industrialization of Africa and trade among ourselves.
“This was a fallout of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) held recently in Cairo, Egypt.” he said.
According to him, the socio-economic, political and manufacturing environment ahead appear enormous, but are surmountable.
He said that MAN would continue to collaborate with all relevant government’s agencies toward promoting patronage of locally produced goods and boosting the productivity of the sector.
