The Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) has projected that its proposed mandatory 30 per cent value addition on Nigerian raw materials before export could create more than 1.2 million skilled jobs within five years.
The Director-General of RMRDC, Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at a press briefing ahead of the 2nd Africa Raw Materials Summit (ARMS 2026), scheduled for October 19 and 20.
He said the proposed Raw Materials 30% Mandatory Value Addition Bill, which is awaiting presidential assent, was aimed at moving Nigeria away from the export of unprocessed commodities towards domestic processing and manufacturing.
According to him, the legislation would also support foreign exchange conservation through import substitution, bolster the nation’s foreign reserves and raise the manufacturing sector’s contribution to the economy.
The DG said the bill would be a key focus of this year’s Africa Raw Materials Summit, scheduled to take place at the Abuja Continental Hotel with the theme, “From African Feedstock to African Factories.”
He said more than 1,800 delegates from all 54 African countries, alongside global industrial partners, were expected at the summit, representing nearly twice the number that attended the inaugural edition in 2025.
Ike-Muonso said the council was focused on tackling what he described as structural challenges that had continued to prevent African raw materials from getting to local manufacturing facilities.
He listed logistics and infrastructure, value addition, circular economy, regional value chains under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and technology commercialisation and access to capital as the five key pillars of the summit.
On logistics, he noted that inadequate transportation networks, insufficient cold-chain facilities, poor rural roads, as well as weaknesses in testing and certification, remained obstacles to moving raw materials from farms and mining sites to processing plants.
He said the summit would provide a platform for logistics operators, relevant government agencies and standardisation bodies to examine strategies for developing dependable supply corridors for local industries.
The RMRDC boss disclosed that the council had developed the Nigeria Integrated Information Statistical System for Raw Materials and Products (NISSRAMP), a digital platform that provides data on raw material deposits, specifications, production outputs and industrial absorption rates.
He added that the council had obtained ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System certification and had also been certified by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission as a Data Controller/Processor of Major Importance.
According to him, RMRDC had also signed an operational agreement with the Bank of Industry to support commercial-scale post-harvest processing and minimise supply-chain losses in commodities such as onions, grains and industrial minerals.
He further disclosed that the council had established a technology transfer partnership with the National Innovation Centre par Excellence (NICE) in Shanghai, China, to support the commercialisation of locally developed research and development.
The summit will feature policy dialogues involving African ministers and other stakeholders, interactive panel sessions, an advanced raw materials and technology exhibition, industrial site visits and the African Raw Materials Industry Awards.
The maiden Africa Raw Materials Summit was held in May 2025 with the theme, “Shaping the Future of Africa’s Resource Landscape,” and attracted more than 1,000 delegates.
Ike-Muonso said the 2026 summit was designed to build on the policies and initiatives introduced at the inaugural edition while strengthening the continent’s drive towards resource-based industrialisation.
He called on the media to examine the policies and monitor the implementation of the proposed 30 per cent value-addition requirement.
“You are not spectators; you are partners in continental development,” he told journalists, urging them to hold relevant institutions accountable and report developments around Africa’s industrial transformation.
