The western nations and the Asian tigers
we admire so much today as industrialised nations are actually
countries that have come to appreciate the role of industry in their
economies. Industry is tangible; it can be seen in the ways in which it
improves the lives of citizens in an economy.
Those placed in charge of the economy in
Nigeria often use figures to replace tangibles. The economy may be said
to be growing (statistically) but the proof of those figures should be
evident all around us. A few weeks ago, I wrote on the ceramics industry
and the spate of closures that have occurred in the last two decades in
that subsector – all happening while we were busy importing exotic
ceramic items to titivate Abuja.
Some respondents to that article
complained that I was getting the government overly involved in issues
that should be tackled by the private sector; citing the economies of
the developed world that are essentially private sector driven as
examples. I engage government in my write-ups because industry, though
it deploys human dexterity, natural resources, and technology; needs the
oxygen that only favourable policy provisions can supply to thrive; and
this is the government’s purview! For example, we do not have robust
ceramics industries today, not because we have never had them; or
because the people have no drive for industry. The ones we had collapsed
because they were not protected by deliberate, clued-up policies that
could sustain their operations. Capital and its drivers only plough
where they are sure to make profit. If the operating environment is
fouled up by stifling laws and ambiguities, businesses face an
inevitable death and investors flee.
When former President Obasanjo rolled
out a progressive policy on cassava development in 2002, it spawned many
small scale industries as enumerated in my article on that sector;
however, when that policy was needlessly reversed in 2008 by late Alhaji
Musa Yar’adua, over 90 per cent of those new businesses closed shop!
Policymakers and drivers ought therefore to be more responsive in
handling their sensitive and privileged offices to encourage the growth
of industry in Nigeria. The same can be said of our long lost tin,
leather, groundnut, etc. economies which are now myths that we keep
recycling over coffee at conference tables. Those ‘good old days,’ can
still be reinvented with the right policies.
It is not all bad news. The
transformation agenda of the present administration has articulated
programmes that would lay the foundation for Nigeria’s much awaited
industrial take-off. If the pronouncements in this document are not
mere lip service, we might be headed for a believable departure from
underdevelopment. One of the conditions for an industrial launch,
according to a field of thought, is agricultural production and the
current Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina as people now
speak of him, is all geared to take agricultural production to the next
level.
Agricultural production and processing
of primary goods however, require the input of science and technology to
impact the socio-economic life of the citizenry. As discussed in my
last article, modern day manufacturing incorporates speed, volume,
convenience, quality, quality control, reliable and attractive packaging
into its total appeal. The recently convened National Science and
Innovation exhibition by the current Minister of Science and Technology,
Prof. Ita Okon Bassey Ewa, is therefore an auspicious initiative. It
portends that there is now official support for innovation and this is
good news for our aspirations to become an industrialised nation.
At the exhibition, I spotted two small
scale ideas that my readers, most of whom are in search of small scale
business ideas would be interested in. These innovations from diverse
research institutes in the country are proof that our Research
Institutes, subseuquently (RIs) are not merely lounging on their rocking
chairs and picking their teeth as many people believe. They are coming
up with ideas that would reduce the drudgery of our current production
methods, deliver increased volume of products within a shorter period of
time and generate income faster.
At the Federal Institute of Industrial
Research stand was a mechanised okra slicer and dryer. The inventor,
Felix Ajuebor, said that with as little as N40, 000.00; an entrepreneur
can buy the equipment with which to start the business of packaging
sliced, dried okro for sale. This two-piece equipment is one of the
ideas that will mitigate post harvest loss and make okro available
during the dry season. The already packaged products were nicely
displayed and on demonstration, the okro was ready to eat within five
minutes of boiling, retaining its green colour. Director-General of
FIIRO, Dr. Gloria Elemo, says that research is still ongoing to perfect
the technology. Keeping life of the product is six months to one year.
The supermarkets should have this on their shelves!
Another interesting product on display
was a mini bioreactor developed by the National Biotechnology
Development Agency, NABDA. According to Dr. Andrew Keswet and other
scientists at the stand, the bioreactor which stokes with bio-wastes,
generates cooking heat suitable for household use and for restaurants.
The gadget goes for N150,000 – N350,000.00 per unit. Biogas is
environmentally friendly, especially as it mops up wastes and provides a
cheap alternative to petroleum fuel.
The entrepreneur needs to be curious,
curious enough to explore new ideas. Nigeria’s RIs are brimming with
business ideas that can be applied to grow indigenous industry.
No comments:
Post a Comment