By Adaeze Okechukwu

The Federal Government of Nigeria has urged local manufacturers to improve product quality and packaging, as well as engage Information and Communication Technology (ICT), to enable them to compete favorably in the global market.

Minister of Information & Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who made this call at the flag-off of the ‘Made-in-Nigeria Campaign’ for the South-West region held in Lagos, yesterday, said: “It is our fervent hope that manufacturers will key into this campaign and exchange views with other stakeholders such as the

Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON, to improve their products and enhance their packaging so they can compete with foreign products.

“I urge local manufacturers to take advantage of ICT to

market their products. Today, the whole world is the stage for any manufacturer who leverages ICT to market their products.”

The campaign is driven by the Federal Ministries of Industry, Trade and Investment as well as Information and Culture,  with the  aim of changing the psyche of Nigerians from the penchant for foreign goods and services as well as re-orientating Nigerians to value locally produced goods.

Mohammed explained that the campaign initiative followed the Executive Order signed by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbanjo, to encourage the patronage of locally-made products as a deliberate policy to conserve foreign exchange as well as to boost business for Nigerian companies so they can employ more people and earn revenue.

He stated that the Federal Government is institutionalizing the patronage of Made-in-Nigeria products by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) through the review of the Bureau of Public Procurement Act to make it mandatory for the MDAs to patronize local products, with a view to diversifying the economy, creating jobs and generating wealth.

Also speaking during the  campaign,  Honourable  Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment,  Aisha Abubakar, reiterated that the  initiative is in line with the fundamental objective of diversifying the economy from over-dependence on oil exports, increasing local industrial capacity and substantially reducing imports of  goods and services.

“This inward-looking initiative is expected to boost the Nigerian economy by reviving the local industries to produce good quality products of international standards that are available and affordable. This would lead to the generation of massive employment, boost our culture and tourism sector, create wealth, reduce poverty and increase the foreign exchange earnings capacity of the country.”