The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, said as part of the government’s efforts at improving the ease of doing business, the federal government, through its recent Nigeria First policy, is streamlining all procurement processes and making it simpler for manufacturers to enjoy the government’s patronage.

Speaking during an interview, she said besides streamlining and simplifying the process, the government will exhaust all possible local options before exploring other foreign sources for any purchase or activity.
 
“The third thing the policy will tackle is the regulatory and bureaucratic landscape. Our upcoming domestic investors’ summit, which will take place next month, will focus on the middle cadre of businesses. We have been working with MSMEs for a long time now, addressing a number of their challenges as well as platinum business champions (companies that gross over a billion dollars per annum).
 
“Now we are deep-diving and focusing on the middle cadre, who are mostly manufacturers, industrialists, alongside their strong ecosystem of customers and suppliers. They are the ones going to lead this country’s drive to scale across the continent via AfCFTA,” she said.

She noted that bureaucratic and regulatory challenges are being tackled actively through the National Single Window Project, Export Expansion Grant (EEG) and the Single Digit Credit scheme (SDC).
   
Pointing out that Nigeria needs to lead and support Africa’s drive for industrialisation, she said what is good for Nigeria is good for Africa.
 
“Patronising locally made goods is not just rhetoric but something we have to do because it creates jobs, keeps our balance of trade steady and protects our FX reserves. ‘Buy Nigeria’ is not just about local consumption alone, it is also about investing in businesses and letting them scale outside Nigeria and across the world,” she said.
 
She added that though there is an existing executive bill on local content, ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) tend to forget to put Nigeria first.
 
“This is in a global context, as we all know what trade rules are, and we are not meant to discriminate. On the other hand, however, we need to understand that we need to patronise Nigerian industries and what our local businesses are producing. We must produce what we consume and consume what we produce.
 
“The way the global shift has positioned us, we are all being reminded, including the FMITI that champions made-in-Nigeria goods and industrialisation, that we need investments, both foreign and domestic. These investments lead to productivity, more trading and preferably, exports that generate more income and investments,” she said.
 
Speaking on how the ministry intends to track if the MDAs are actively following the policy, she said the Executive Order 001 already tracks every single MDA, including agencies under the FMITI, and that the government intends to strengthen it.
 
This, she said, forms part of the ministry’s performance matrix under its deliverables and is still ongoing.
 
“We have been tracking their compliance and will continue to do so. Our performance has been increasing, and this is being measured by the Central Coordinating Delivery Unit (CCDU), quarter on quarter,” she said.

The minister added that with procurement, MDAs and Nigerians have to be very intentional about buying local first in every single activity, business and personal.
 
“It is up to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and tenders’ boards to enforce this policy. Nigerian businesses must also look inwards for opportunities they work with the government. Many companies don’t bother to tender because they think the government already has its people, but this is not true.

We want people to begin to trust the system and the process,” she noted.
Touching on the fact that some Nigerians have pointed out that imported goods are cheaper than locally made ones, she said, the danger is that the country runs the risk of becoming a dumping ground for other countries looking for where to export their goods to, as it is becoming increasingly difficult to enter the U.S market and Europe.
 
“We have to become more intentional in consuming local, even if it is slightly more expensive, to keep our businesses alive. We need to improve continental market access for our locally made goods as well, so they and the country can earn FX. Nigerian products are in high demand across Africa, and we will soon have the official statistics ready that back this up,” she said.