By Bimbola Oyesola
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) says it will save billions of dollars on importation of raw materials through partnership with professionals in the chemical sector in the country.
Speaking at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between MAN and the Chemical Society of Nigeria (CSN) recently, MAN President, Frank Jacobs, said the association decided to go into the partnership to support the Federal Government’s backward integration, which demands that manufacturers should source raw materials locally.
The partnership is also to commercialise research findings, which have industrial applications but have been shelved off in the past, as well as explore new research that may be relevant to both organisations, especially to MAN, as well as add value to the practical academic experience of students. “The objective of the collaboration is to bridge the gap between researchers and the manufacturing industry,” he said.
The President said MAN’s desire to sign the MoU would add value to the members’ businesses, disclosing that the implementation committee, comprising members from both organisations would ensure effective implementation of the MoU objectives.
In her address, the President of CSN, Prof. Gloria Obuzor, said the signing will seek to redirect the attention of the government to the importance of chemistry to everyday life and its role in manufacturing and industrial development.
She noted that the event is an encouraging indication that the leadership of MAN was giving chemistry and chemists the proper place in the industrial manufacturing development process.
Obuzor highlighted that the objectives was to create accessibility of researched and developed raw materials for the industrial sector, translate research findings into acceptable and usable products, to commercialise products arising from local research for the purpose of ensuring economic sustainability of the nation, as well as to encourage the use of local raw materials by improving the local content requirements of locally manufactured products.
The CSN President stated that the world was gradually coming to terms with the challenges of industrial development and attendant effects as the onus for survival of developing countries such as Nigeria, under the global arrangement, lies in the ambit of professions especially in the area of chemistry, engineering, science and technology.