A fully operational Ajaokuta Steel Company could create over 500,000 jobs and save Nigeria $4 billion annually in steel imports, according to its Managing Director, Prof. Nasir Naeem Abdulsalam.
At the opening of the 2025 International Conference, Exhibition, and Annual General Meeting of the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Wednesday, Abdulsalam led a chorus of calls from APWEN President, Dr. Adebisi R. Osim, and Oyo State Acting Governor, Barrister Adebayo Lawal for the revitalisation of the country’s manufacturing sector, which contributes 9.62% the Gross Domestic Product, through innovative engineering solutions.
According to him, Nigeria’s path to economic growth and industrial strength must begin with a bold embrace of innovation and a fully revived steel industry, adding that manufacturing remains Nigeria’s surest road to self-reliance as the nation needs to make a decisive shift to innovation-driven industrialisation.
He highlighted ongoing projects, such as fabricating railway sleepers and manhole covers, as evidence of the plant’s potential to drive value chains in construction, automotive, and defence sectors.
The Managing Director outlined a five-point blueprint which includes product design tailored to local needs, process automation using Industry 4.0 technologies, energy-efficient production powered by renewables, advanced materials engineering, and aggressive skills development, citing global models like Germany’s Industry 4.0 and Japan’s Kaizen philosophy, as models Nigeria can adapt.
He urged policymakers to ensure policy stability and transparent public-private partnerships, while calling on APWEN’s women engineers to lead in design and governance reforms.
‘Ajaokuta is not just a company; it’s a symbol of Nigeria’s capacity to engineer a manufacturing renaissance’, he said, emphasising its role in fostering innovation and economic self-reliance.
APWEN President, Engr. Adebisi Osim celebrated the association’s 2025 achievements, including the Mayen Adetiba Technical Boot Camp, which inspired 60% of 150 girls to pursue engineering, and FunSTEM 2.0, reaching 300 students and 100 educators to promote STEM literacy and gender balance. Grassroots initiatives like “Who Wants to Be an Engineer” and “STEM FOR ALL” competitions awarded scholarships, while partnerships with Nestlé and OPS-WASH advanced water stewardship.
Osim highlighted community projects, such as water purification systems for 500 rural households, and webinars on AI and global careers.
For 2026, she pledged IoT-enhanced boot camps, a women’s engineering innovation fund, and policies ensuring 40 per cent female participation in manufacturing, ‘The future lies in home-grown innovations driven by Nigerian engineers’, she said.
Lawal lauded the conference theme as both a challenge and a roadmap, saying it aligns with the state’s Omituntun 2.0 agenda.
He highlighted investments in technical education and the state’s AfCFTA strategy to enhance industrial competitiveness, pledging deeper collaboration with APWEN to turn innovative ideas into policies.
‘Your resilience will shape Nigeria’s manufacturing future’, he told young engineers, promising support for research and inclusive leadership.
