The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, monday in Abuja launched a contest to promote Made-in-Nigeria products.
The contest which will run for the next
three months is aimed at showcasing the process and raw materials used
in producing such locally made goods.
A statement by Bamikole Omishore, Senior
Assistant to Saraki on New Media, said the contest would identify good
products that could be matched with investors and relevant government
agencies.
Saraki said such agencies or investors
would drive the products until they can compete favourably with any
similar foreign product.
“Today, as promised, we kick-start the
soft launch of the #MadeInNigeria Challenge. This campaign is organised
to showcase everyday products that are used by Nigerians and produced by
Nigerians locally that serve as alternative to imported products.
“The next few weeks, we hope to identify
products and ideas that can be matched with investors and government
agencies. To wrap up the challenge, in March, we will be inviting some
of the finalists to a Made-in-Nigeria Roundtable at the Senate.
“This roundtable will allow us –
legislators, government agencies, business owners, and everyday Nigerian
consumers-to review and update the report of the National Assembly
Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER), which was held in 2016 to
improve the ease of doing business in the country,” he said.
Saraki added that the roundtable would
also be used to get feedback on the amendment to the Public Procurement
Act passed by the Senate in 2016.
The amended Act mandates government agencies to give preference to local manufacturers in the procurement of goods and services.
The statement added that from feedback
received from Nigerians, people want to see improved ease of doing
business, access to funding, effective oversight on agencies to make
sure they are actually giving preference to made in Nigeria and most
importantly to make sure clear guidelines that are accessible online are
set by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Standards Organisation
of Nigeria (SON), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and
Control (NAFDAC), Nigerian Export Promotion Council among others.
He wished all the participants good luck
and called on Nigerians to use the #MadeInNigeria in their submitted
videos for the competition.
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