RMRDC targets 1.2m jobs with 30% raw materials value addition By Musa Luka Musa The Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) says its proposed mandatory 30 per cent value addition on Nigerian raw materials before export could generate more than 1.2 million skilled jobs within five years. The Director-General of RMRDC, Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, disclosed this on Tuesday at a press briefing in Abuja 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 designed to shift Nigeria from the export of unprocessed commodities to domestic processing and manufacturing. According to him, the legislation would also help conserve foreign exchange through import substitution, strengthen the country’s foreign reserves and increase the contribution of manufacturing to the economy. The DG said the bill formed a major pillar of this year’s Africa Raw Materials Summit, which will be held at the Abuja Continental Hotel under the theme, “From African Feedstock to African Factories.” He said the summit would bring together more than 1,800 delegates from all 54 African countries and global industrial partners, almost twice the attendance recorded at the inaugural edition in 2025. Ike-Muonso said the council was seeking to address what he described as the structural barriers preventing African raw materials from reaching local manufacturing plants. He identified 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 major pillars of the summit. On logistics, he said poor transportation networks, inadequate cold-chain facilities, rural roads and gaps in testing and certification continued to limit the movement of raw materials from farms and mines to processing facilities. He said the summit would bring together logistics operators, relevant government agencies and standardisation bodies to explore ways of establishing reliable supply corridors for local industries. The RMRDC boss also said the council had developed the Nigeria Integrated Information Statistical System for Raw Materials and Products (NISSRAMP), a digital platform designed to provide information on raw material deposits, specifications, production outputs and industrial absorption rates. He said the council had also secured ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System certification and was certified by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission as a Data Controller/Processor of Major Importance. According to him, RMRDC has also entered into an operational agreement with the Bank of Industry to support commercial-scale post-harvest processing and reduce supply-chain losses in commodities including onions, grains and industrial minerals. He added that the council had established a technology transfer partnership with the National Innovation Centre par Excellence (NICE) in Shanghai, China, to facilitate the commercialisation of local research and development. The summit will feature policy dialogues involving African ministers and other stakeholders, interactive panels, 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 under the theme, “Shaping the Future of Africa’s Resource Landscape,” and attracted more than 1,000 delegates. Ike-Muonso said the 2026 edition was intended to deepen the implementation of the policies and initiatives launched at the maiden summit and strengthen efforts towards resource-based industrialisation across the continent. He urged the media to scrutinise the policies and track 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.
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