The Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan, has said that Nigeria must urgently reduce its dependence on imports and deliberately channel its large population into productive industrial activity, warning that demography alone does not guarantee economic growth.
Speaking at the Redeemed Christian Church of God Lagos Province 35 Economic Summit on Saturday, Owan stressed that the success of the Federal Government’s Nigeria-First policy will depend largely on policy predictability, coordinated execution, and the strategic use of public procurement to stimulate local manufacturing.
The PUNCH reports that President Bola Tinubu announced the Nigeria-First policy in 2025 to give priority to Nigerian industries in all procurement activities.
“Nigeria does not need to import what we can. We can clothe ourselves. Yesterday, before leaving Abuja, I was in a meeting with the DG of the BPP. What was that meeting about? Mr President announced a Nigeria-First policy. Now, the challenge is to get it to work. What’s the best way to implement and to execute such a policy? The Ministry of Industry and Development is key.
