RAW Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), said yesterday, that cement industries can now source gypsum from local miners.

The Director General, Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Dr. Hussaini Doko Ibrahim, disclosed  this at a press briefing for the Nigeria Raw Material Expo (NIRAM) and the Nigeria Manufacturing & Equipment Expo (NME) in Lagos.

Doko said “The previous editions of NIRAM Expo have attained modest achievements and today, industries can source for high quality starch, glucose syrups & extracts, fruit juice concentrates among others from local sources”.

Represented by Dr Zainab Hammanga, Director Investments and consultancy, RMRDC, he said, the NIRAM expo also created platform for highlighting the challenges to local sourcing of gypsum. Adding that presently, most of these challenges have been addressed and cement industries can now look forward to sourcing of gypsum from local miners.

MAN President, Dr. Frank Jacobs, said they are in full support of the forthcoming NME and the NIRAM expo. According to him, the event was created in response to government’s commitment to industrialisation and its quest to diversify the economy.

“It provides a veritable platform for SMEs to learn processes on how to boost their output, reduce cost, drive quality improvement, manufacture for new market and also secure funding for growth.  The 2016 event no doubt made great impact on Nigerian economy as attested to by the participants that cut across various sectors of the economy” he said.

The Managing Director, Clarion Events West Arica, Mr. Dele Alimi said the recent infusion of NIRAM into the NME would afford several companies and countries who have registered as exhibitors and visitors to the expo to boost their output, reduce cost, drive quality improvement, manufacture for new market and also secure funding for growth.