Dutse: The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has reiterated its resolve to promote made-in-Nigeria products. Dr. Abdulfatai Ambali, Head of the Department of Manufacturing Services of the Hydraulic Equipment Development Institute (HEDI), a division of NASENI, gave the assurance during a Focus Group Meeting with stakeholders by the agency in Dutse. The stakeholders include industrialists, local manufacturers, and technology innovators, among others.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the focus meeting was convened to discuss strategies for strengthening Nigeria’s manufacturing sector and boosting patronage of locally made products. Ambali described NASENI as pivotal to national development and urged consumers to actively support made-in-Nigeria products while calling on manufacturers to uphold quality standards. “This meeting was basically based on made-in-Nigeria products because by our mandate, we are to develop home-based technology for the country and we now have what we call 3Cs, which is: collaboration, creation, and commercialisation,” he said.
He explained that under collaboration, the agency partners with individuals, groups, organisations, and academia where students and lecturers venture into various research works. “Most of these research works by our students are just kept in our universities, so we are trying through collaboration to ensure that such ideas come to life to benefit Nigerians,” he added.
Ambali further elaborated on the creation principle, highlighting skills development where series of training and innovation were established for Nigerian youths and local manufacturers. Under the principle of commercialisation, the agency is making efforts to ensure that whatever is achieved through collaboration and creation gets to the market. He emphasized that if local products were not being patronised by Nigerians, all investments made by the government and other collaborators would be wasted, something the agency is striving to correct.
He expressed dissatisfaction with the current level of patronage for locally made products by Nigerians, hence the focus group meeting to create awareness. He expressed hope that at the end of the programme, there would be more patronage, value, and improvement in locally made products.
Dr. Ambali encouraged Nigerians to patronise Made-in-Nigeria products while also appealing to manufacturers to ensure their products meet top-quality standards. “We are making sure that these products are up to standard. At NASENI, we have various departments looking into the quality of products. We are collaborating to ensure these products compete globally,” he stated.
A participant, Mrs. Fatima Ibrahim, commended the agency for the programme, stating it will significantly promote patronage of locally made products among Nigerians. She also urged the agency to support local manufacturers to enhance their production.
Another participant, Muhammad Ibrahim, praised the agency for organising the meeting. “This is what has never been done before because you have less than 10 per cent of the participants knowing about NASENI, but today, people in Jigawa can boast of knowing the agency and what they do.” Ibrahim noted that the meeting was an eye-opener that would contribute to increasing local production and enhancing acceptability. “This will encourage local production and domestication of all our products. This is a worthy effort and Nigerians should key into it,” he said.