President Bola Tinubu has said Nigerians will increasingly patronise locally manufactured goods and services when they meet high-quality and standard requirements.
Tinubu said his administration’s priority is to improve the quality of products manufactured in Nigeria, noting that increased domestic consumption would naturally follow once locally made products become competitive.
The President stated this while addressing a group of innovators at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday. He was represented at the event by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, SAN.
He stressed that Nigeria’s innovative capacity must be harnessed to create economic value, quality jobs, stronger industrial competitiveness, increased exports and improved welfare for citizens.
According to him, science, technology and innovation are critical to achieving the country’s development objectives.
Tinubu said his administration was equipping young Nigerians with the knowledge and tools required to compete in present and future industries, while working to convert the country’s talent and resources into productive industrial capacity.
He said research must address industrial needs, while innovation must move from ideas to the marketplace.
The President also highlighted agriculture, manufacturing, renewable energy, healthcare, education and the digital economy as sectors where innovation could deliver practical benefits.
He said such innovations should help farmers reduce losses, improve small-business productivity, expand access to affordable energy and healthcare, reduce production costs, strengthen local supply chains and create jobs.
Using Nigerian-made cables as an example, Tinubu said Nigerians would patronise locally manufactured products when they are recognised for their quality rather than merely out of patriotism.
Also speaking, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Khalil Suleiman Halilu, said Nigeria must transition from consumption to creation.
Halilu said the country must develop solutions and technologies locally and transform its potential into products, companies, industries and jobs.
He added that a sustainable innovation ecosystem could not be built by government, industry or innovators acting alone, stressing that innovations that remain unused cannot transform the economy.
