… as its President, Otunba Francis Meshioye, Presents Agenda
The President Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Otunba Francis Meshioye, on Tuesday in Lagos at the 2023 MAN Media Reporter of the Year and Luncheon, presented his agenda for the Association for the next four years.
He pledged that during his tenure as president with the support of his colleagues, the Association will reinvigorate its advocacy focus on the following mandates:
- Improve evidence-based advocacy through proactive engagement with legislators, policymakers, regulators, and other stakeholders;
- Increase the output of the manufacturing sector and its contribution to GDP to 20% by 2030;
- Increase export of Nigerian manufactured products to other African Countries and beyond;
- Promote manufacturing sector employment through capacity building, new technologies, and professional advisory services;
- Promote inclusive inter-industry linkage between SMIs and large corporations by encouraging the development of industry value chains, industrial parks, and collaboration with academia;
- Extend MAN’s advocacy outreach at regional and continental levels through robust membership in and collaboration with relevant institutions;
- Drive MAN’s effectiveness through continuous improvement of human resources, technology enablement, corporate governance, and financial viability;
- Improve the quality of membership services by promoting a more conducive operating environment, improving the availability of public services, access to finance, providing information to members,and promoting patronage of made-in-Nigeria products; and
- Ensure effective and timely dissemination of MAN’s views and positions to all arms of government, members, and the public through print, social and electronic media.”
According to him, MAN has over the years, highlighted the pain points of manufacturers in Nigeria. He, however, said that the association remains committed to its principal objective of advocating for a conducive environment where manufacturing business can thrive, “so that we can create wealth and employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths in the society.
On what MAN is doing to ensure the presidential candidates of the various political parties key into the programme of the association, Otunba Meshioye said: “MAN is being strategic in its engagement during this electioneering year to place its issues on the front burner. We have engaged the Presidential aspirants on the importance of having a virile and competitive manufacturing sector. We have equally pushed at different fora with major political contenders to incorporate the need to accelerate the growth and development of the manufacturing sector in their economic agenda. In this regard, we have availed all the political parties with our Blueprint for the Accelerated Development of Manufacturing in Nigeria as well as the agenda for manufacturing in Nigeria for the next 10 years.”