Nigeria must stop importing what it can produce — Minister

The Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan, has urged Nigeria to drastically cut its reliance on imports and deliberately harness its large population for productive industrial activity, warning that population size alone does not translate into economic growth.

Speaking at the Redeemed Christian Church of God Lagos Province 35 Economic Summit on Saturday, Owan said the success of the Federal Government’s Nigeria-First policy hinges on policy consistency, coordinated implementation, and the effective use of public procurement to drive local manufacturing.

He explained that President Bola Tinubu introduced the Nigeria-First policy in 2025 to prioritise Nigerian-made goods and services in government procurement, but stressed that implementation is now the critical challenge.

According to the minister, engagements have begun between the Ministry of Industry and Development and the Bureau of Public Procurement to focus on key sectors such as textiles and apparel, automotive, medical equipment, furniture, and others. He noted that a well-structured procurement framework could create steady demand for locally produced goods and unlock significant private-sector investment.

Owan described public procurement as a powerful but underutilised tool for industrial development, saying predictable government demand can accelerate domestic value-chain growth. He cited countries like Bangladesh and Vietnam, which built global manufacturing strength not through perfect infrastructure but through policy predictability, competitiveness, and focused value chains.

He also argued that Nigeria could achieve self-sufficiency in areas like clothing and automotive manufacturing if procurement policies were deliberately used to encourage local production. As an example, he said multinational firms would be compelled to invest locally if government purchases were tied to domestic manufacturing.

The minister revealed that manufacturers consistently emphasise the need for predictability rather than perfection. He said stable rules and clear policy direction are essential for businesses to invest, expand, and create jobs.

“Predictability is the foundation of competitiveness,” Owan said, adding that uncertainty forces businesses to focus on survival instead of growth.

He noted that the current administration’s reforms aim to shift Nigeria from consumption-driven policies to a rule-based, production-oriented economy, built on stability, fairness, and investor confidence.

Owan warned that Nigeria’s youthful population could become a burden if industrial capacity is not expanded quickly enough to generate jobs, stressing that a large population only becomes an advantage when it is productive.

He added that aligning industrial policy with procurement reform would reduce import dependence, strengthen local manufacturing, and ensure government spending supports Nigerian industries.

“We are aligning policy, procurement, and production to turn population into demand, demand into production, and production into jobs,” he said.

The minister concluded by expressing hope that reforms in 2026 would result in more jobs, stronger industries, increased trade, and deeper investment across the economy.