The Director-General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Segun Ajayi-Kadir, has called on African nations to strengthen their industrial capacity through backward integration and value addition, rather than continuing the export of raw materials.
Ajayi-Kadir made the call during a facility tour of Coleman Technical Industries Limited in Sagamu, Ogun State, where he emphasised the need for the continent to harness its abundant natural resources by developing local processing capabilities to maximise economic value.
He commended Coleman’s backward integration strategy, describing it as a model for building robust industrial value chains across Africa. According to him, countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo possess vast natural resources but lack the industrial capacity to fully benefit from them.
“Africa must bridge the gap in industrial capacity. What we have seen here fits perfectly into the narrative of building stronger African value chains,” he said.
Ajayi-Kadir further described Coleman as a “champion” in Nigeria’s manufacturing sector and expressed MAN’s readiness to collaborate with the company to advance industrial development. He also highlighted Ogun State’s growing reputation as a key manufacturing hub, noting its rising competitiveness among industrial centres on the continent.
The MAN boss noted that the tour offered insights into Coleman’s growth trajectory, particularly its strategic investments in telecommunications and power infrastructure through the production of wires and cables. He added that such investments have significantly contributed to expanding connectivity across Nigeria.
He also pointed out that the company’s expansion plans across West Africa align with broader regional integration goals and the push to deepen intra-African industrial collaboration. Ajayi-Kadir reiterated MAN’s commitment to advocating policies that prioritise local manufacturing and encourage the patronage of made-in-Nigeria products.
In his response, Chairman of Coleman Technical Industries Limited, Solomon Onafowokan, expressed appreciation for the visit, noting that it provided the delegation with firsthand insight into the scale of operations at the Sagamu plant and the company’s contributions to Nigeria’s industrial growth.
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