MAN want FCT to provide incentives, infrastructures for investors

THE President of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Dr Frank Udemba has called on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to make available attractive incentives and provide the infrastructure that will encourage investors to invest in that Capital Territory.

Speaking at the Annual General Meeting of MAN, Abuja, Nasarawa and Niger Branch, Dr Udemba said the manufacturing sector is the highest contributor to job and wealth creation in the country.

His words: “Every effort should be made to encourage more investment in manufacturing, by providing attractive incentives and infrastructures that will encourage investors, as well as taking a closer look at the regulatory functions of departments and municipal agencies in the Federal Capital Territory that discourage investors.

“The manufacturing sector has been acknowledged as the highest contributor to job and wealth creation, skill development and technology transfer.

“It is therefore imperative for the FCT to institute a more effective and efficient consultative mechanism in the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Abuja Branch, this is to ensure continued sustenance of existing manufacturing companies some of which are at the verge of collapse, while under the weight of the overwhelming infrastructural and other challenges”.

Furthermore, he said “at the National level, we have been working tirelessly, to improve the manufacturing environment, this we do by positively engaging heads of governments, its agencies and parastatals on policies that have the potential on the real sector of the economy.

“Most recently, our intervention in conjunction with those of like-minded private sector groups resulted in the non-signing of the African continental free trade area agreement by Nigeria”.

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In his address, the Chairman MAN, Abuja branch, Mr Odun Emasealu, said: “the manufacturing firms within the branch in spite of the harsh economic situation that affected the entire economy, have experienced a certain level of improvement”.

He listed some of the challenges facing their members in Abuja to include lack of fund, inadequate access to forex, higher operational cost especially land, high-interest rates, insecurity, the overbearing attitude of regulatory agencies in enforcement, overlapping functions of regulatory agencies especially the Area Councils, FCT and AEPB.

“We may not have had the power to have cautioned these negative vices, but we were able to confront them boldly using the network of MAN headquarters and leveraging on branch access to the FCT Administration. Therefore, strive to end this menace will be a continuous one”, he added.