Experts at the 2025 International Conference and AGM of the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) have renewed calls for the revival of Nigeria's steel and manufacturing industries to boost jobs and cut costly imports.
Ajaokuta Steel Company's Managing Director, Prof. Nasir Naeem Abdulsalam, said a fully operational plant could create over 500,000 jobs and save the country about $4 billion annually in steel imports.
He stressed that the facility, with a production capacity of 7.5 million metric tonnes of steel yearly, holds the key to driving value chains in construction, automotive, and defense sectors.
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Abdulsalam outlined a five-point plan for industrial growth, focusing on locally tailored product design, automation through Industry 4.0 technologies, renewable energy integration, advanced materials engineering, and intensive skills development. He cited global models like Germany's Industry 4.0 and Japan's Kaizen as templates Nigeria can adapt.
Alongside APWEN President Engr. Dr. Adebisi R. Osim and Oyo State Acting Governor Barr. Adebayo Lawal, he urged policymakers to provide policy stability and foster transparent public-private partnerships to raise manufacturing's current 9.62 per cent GDP contribution.
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