THE Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu has said that leather and textile production hold the key to Nigeria’s industrialisation.
He said this when he spoke at a workshop on “Leather andleather products policy implementation plan” in Abuja.
DrOnu said that if Nigeria could specialise in leather production, it would progress into more sophisticated areas of technology and innovation.
The minister said further that the nation could deal decisively with poverty and have a breakthrough in the area of job creation through implementation of leather and textile policies.
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He said the nation at present had an advantage due to the low cost of the product, adding that “where labour is cheap and technology levels are low, countries like Nigeria are at an advantage”.
Dr Onu further said that the industrialised nations of the world today focused on areas of leather and textile production and were able to grow into more sophisticated areas like motor engineering. Nigeria, he added, needed to join the industrialised world.
He hailed the efforts of the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST) for drafting viable policies to boost the Leather Industry and facilitate Nigeria’s march towards being an industrialised nation.
Earlier, The acting Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST), Dr. Eucharia Ngozi Oparah, said the implementation of the Leather Products Policy Implementation Plan would propel the nation towards reaching sustainable economic growth.