New President of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr. Ahmed Mansur, has hailed the federal government on its courage to introduce strategic Executive Orders (EOs) especially, Order 003.
Mansur, who is also an Executive Director, Dangote Industries Ltd., observed that “Order 003 shows that the incumbent administration is serious in building local productive capacity and must be supported by MAN and all Nigerians”.
However, he was quick to urge all levels of government to provide the necessary basic infrastructure toward reducing the cost of production for manufacturers, adding that the impact would boost development of the real sector of the economy.
Already, he has come up with his first leadership policy which is compiling a list of all products manufactured locally presenting it to the Federal Government to serve as a guide for government’s procurement activities.
He made this public during the 2018 Annual General Meeting of the association with the theme: ‘Mainstreaming Industrial Policies to Catalyse Industrial Renaissance’.
The president also noted that in addition to the list of the locally-manufactured goods, the Federal Government will also be given a compendium of all the manufacturers in the country.
He added that “They have to know who and where to contact to get quality made-in-Nigeria goods; so, this is the first step we have carried out. Our interactions with the Bureau of Public Procurement are also steps in the right direction so that we understand the requirements and their expectations”.
While pleading to improve the association’s collaboration with the Federal Government toward boosting the competitiveness of the nation’s manufacturing sector, he assured that MAN under his watch would strengthen its level of collaboration and interaction with government to ensure that the Executive Order 003 was fully implemented to boost local patronage of made-in-Nigeria products.
He further assured that “MAN will work with the Federal Government to ensure that the Nigerian manufacturing sector is competitive,” noting that his executive will deepen engagement relations with all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to showcase made-in-Nigeria goods.
Mansur averred that “When this contact is made, it will encourage our members to compete both in terms of price and quality.
In his median statement, he said “I believe that if we continue to work with the government in this manner, we will bridge the gap between us and the public sector requirements,” and disclosed that the association had kick-started the partnership by presenting a compendium of all its members to the government toward showcasing all the locally produced goods.
“They have to know who and where to contact to get quality made-in-Nigeria goods, so this is the first step we have carried out.
“Our interactions with the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) are also steps in the right direction, so that we understand the requirements and their expectations,” he said.
On the performance of his predecessor, Dr Frank Jacobs, the new president thanked him and his executives for the meritorious service they offered during the past four years.
