Don tasks FG on favourable environment for green manufacturing technology

A don, Prof. Vincent Aizebeoje Balogun has called for the eradication of poverty in the country through a technological revolution and self sufficiency in the manufacturing of green consumer goods.

With a population of over 200 million people, advised the federal government to create a favourable environment for the green manufacturing technology sector to thrive in the country.

In a paper titiled “Green Manufacturing: A Novel Approach to Economic Recovery in Nigeria”, at the third Inaugural lecture series of the Edo State University Uzairue, near Auchi, Edo State, Prof. Balogun advised Nigeria to capitalize on her population of over 200 million people in order to explore, penetrate and create strong market for its manufacturing sector.

He said: “The way forward is for Nigeria to take advantage of the green manufacturing strategy and evolve her manufacturing sector in that direction as we move towards the fourth industrial revolution.

“We need to employ and develop our green manufacturing sector so that we can create more jobs and take our citizens out of the streets.”

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The university don noted that the manufacturing sector provides the greatest opportunity for the transformation of the Nigerian economy, saying that it is an antidote for unemployment, a creator of wealth and threshold for sustainable development.

“Although manufacturing in Nigeria has a few challenges; among them are inadequate and epileptic power supply, regulatory issues, multiplicities of taxes, trade facilitation issues and infrastructural deficiencies.”

He observed that green manufacturing is a gateway and key to competitive economy, stressing that the competitiveness of manufacturing and support for sustainable development demand new aporoaches.

“There is an urgret call at all levels of manufacturing to curtail the emission rate as proposed by United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to meet the sustsinable agenda in order to help cushion the impact of electrical energy consumption on the environment during manufacturing processes,” he said.

Balogun noted that green manufacturing technology is increasingly becoming more attractive globally for the production of consumer products as it minimises and eliminates processing and production waste using eco-efficient practices and new environmental technology at all levels of manufacturing activities.

He disclosed that manufacturing sector contributes 4.19% to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), saying that for Nigeria to be one of the 20 biggest economies in the world in 2020, the sector ought to contribute a minimum of 15% yearly to its GDP and steadily increase to a minimum of 30% by 2021.

He said: “All manufacturers including Nigerian manufacturers should engage in discussion that boils around the reduction of CO2 levels through the minimum consumption of fossil fuels and other parameters to encourage green manufacture of products.”