Budget and National Planning Minister, Senator Udoma UdoUdoma has appealed to international agencies to assist Nigeria’s drive for self sufficiency by encouraging the local production of items required for the execution of their mandates in the country.
Senator Udoma who was speaking at a meeting with the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNDPA), Professor Babatunde Osotimehin and his delegation from the agency’s office in New York, at the weekend in Abuja, said Nigeria has the human capacity to realize theobjective but needed support and patronage to drive the process.
As part of plans to achieve self-sufficiency, the minister said government is focused on encouraging small and medium scale industries and promoting Made-in-Nigeria goods because there is a lot of scope for production and expansion.
“It is important that we support them and patronise them and help them improve on the quality of goods produced in Nigeria,” he said.
The minister told the delegation that there is no reason why we cannot manufacture most of the drugs and other medical accessories needed in the treatment and control of maternal mortality and other related medical conditions and would appreciate assistance more in the area of production of those materials locally.