By Sunny Anderson Osiebe...
T
he President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Monday launched a contest to promote Made in Nigeria products.
he President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Monday launched a contest to promote Made in Nigeria products.
The contest which
will run for the best three months is aimed at showcasing the process
and raw materials used in producing such locally made goods.
In a statement signed
by Bamikole Omishore, special assistant on New Media to the Senate
President said that the contest will identify the good products that
could be matched with investors and relevant
government agencies.
He said that such
agencies or investors would drive the products to the extent that they
compete favourably with any similar product being imported.
“Today, as promised, we kick-start the soft launch of the #MadeInNigeria Challenge.This campaign is organized to showcase everyday products
that are used by Nigerians and produced by Nigerians locally that serve as alternative to imported products.
“The next few weeks, we hope to identify products and ideas that can be matched with investors and government agencies. To wrap up the Challenge,
in March, we will be inviting some of the finalist to a Made In Nigeria Roundtable at the Senate.
“This roundtable will
allow us - legislators, government agencies, business owners, and
everyday Nigerian consumers to review and update the report of the
National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable
(NASSBER), which was held in 2016 to improve the ease of doing business
in the country,” he said.
Saraki added that the
roundtable would also be used to get feedback on the amendment to the
Public Procurement Act passed by the Senate in 2016.
The amended Act mandates government agencies to give preference to local manufacturers in the procurement of goods and services.
Saraki's aide added
that from feedback received from Nigerians, people want to see improved
ease of doing business, access to funding, effective oversight on
agencies to make sure they are actually giving
preference to Made In Nigeria and most importantly to make sure clear
guidelines that are accessible online are set by the Corporate Affairs
Commission (CAC), Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), National
Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control
(NAFDAC), Nigerian Export Promotion Council, etc.
He wished all the
participants good luck and called on Nigerians to use the hashtag
#MadeInNigeria in their submitted videos for the competition.
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