Vice-President Kashim Shettima has urged African countries to end the export of raw materials and focus on local processing and manufacturing to increase value addition, create jobs and strengthen their economies.
Shettima made the call during a visit to the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone in Cotonou, Benin Republic, where he toured integrated cotton, textile and agro-processing facilities on Friday.
He said Africa could no longer afford to remain a supplier of raw materials while importing finished goods manufactured from its own resources.
According to the Vice-President, the continent must take greater advantage of its abundant natural resources by developing industries capable of transforming raw materials into higher-value products, thereby expanding employment opportunities and driving economic growth.
Shettima said Nigeria’s industrialisation agenda would ensure that all parts of the country benefited, with the Federal Government collaborating with state governments to establish agro-industrial value chains.
He commended Benin Republic’s efforts to promote large-scale production and export of locally processed products, describing the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone as a model of how agriculture could support industrial development across Africa.
The Vice-President expressed concern that Africa accounts for only about one per cent of the global cotton industry, estimated to be worth $370 billion, despite the continent’s considerable production potential.
He said revitalising Nigeria’s textile value chain could generate millions of jobs, increase non-oil export earnings and stimulate economic activity.
“We are here essentially at the behest of President Tinubu, in the spirit of his Renewed Hope Agenda, to see and peer-review global best practices,” Shettima said.
He said the visit would help Nigeria draw practical lessons from Benin’s integrated approach to developing the cotton, cashew and soya bean value chains.
“We are setting up eight agro-industrial zones in eight states in our country,” he said.
Describing the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone as “an African success story”, Shettima said it demonstrated the benefits of building complete value chains in key agricultural commodities.
“Be rest assured that we have learnt a lot of lessons through this visit, and we are going to replicate a lot of that in Nigeria,” he added.
The Vice-President reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to positioning Nigeria among the world’s leading industrialised economies under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
During the visit, Benin’s Minister of Tourism and Foreign Trade briefed the Nigerian delegation on the industrial zone’s structure, production capacity and investment opportunities.
The delegation also toured textile and agro-processing facilities where locally produced cotton is converted into yarn, fabric and finished garments, as well as plants processing cashew and other agricultural commodities for domestic and export markets.
The visit formed part of Nigeria’s efforts to study Benin’s experience in integrating agriculture with manufacturing, attracting private investment and promoting value addition.
Shettima was accompanied by the governors of Kwara, Imo, Katsina, Plateau, Zamfara and Jigawa states.
