Mr Issa Aremu, Vice President (Africa) of the IndustriALL Global Union on Sunday in Abuja called on the Federal Government to revive key industrial sector for the growth of economy.
Aremu made the call at a news conference to mark the 2016 Africa Industrialisation Day with the theme: “Back to Basics: Revival of Basic Industries and Creation of Sustainable Employment”.
“This year, against the background of current economic recession and the commitment of President Buhari’s Administration to economic diversification, it is imperative for government to craft a road-map to revive key economic sectors.
“The sectors include textile, garment, oil and gas, power, steel engineering, solid minerals among others,” he said.
Aremu said that there was also need for government to implement the National Industrial Revolution Plan launched in 2014 for industrial growth in the country
He emphasised the need for government to draw up another plan as the new National Industrial Revolution Plan which would capture all major sectors of the economy.
He said that if properly conceived and implemented, it would be able to tackle the nation’s industrial needs.
He also said that major stakeholders in the country met and agreed on the plan, pointing out that Nigeria and Africa were not short of development policies.
“Nigeria, and indeed, Africa are not short of development policies, rather, we lack the will to properly implement the development policies which are wasting away on shelves.
“It is time for government to walk its talk, especially in the area of power generation. No industrialisation can take place without adequate power supply,” he said.
Aremu said it was unfortunate that several years after independence, African nations were still exporting their raw materials instead of adding value to them.
He emphasised that it was time for African countries to start processing their raw materials locally in order to generate employment and create wealth.
Aremu, while highlighting activities to mark the 2016 Africa Industrialisation Day observed on Nov. 21, said the union would march for industrialisation, job creation and revival of the textiles industries, among others.
According to him, the IndustriAll Global Union has less than one million members in Africa out of the over 50 million members worldwide due to the state of the manufacturing sector in the continent. (NAN)
