Label Nigerian products as Made in Nigeria

In the bid to promote and encourage made in Nigeria products experts on Thursday in Lagos berated the practice of labelling Made in Nigeria goods as made in China in an effort to promote the sales of such products.
President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) Mr Frank Jacobs told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that it was an ugly trend which small and medium scale manufacturers employ as patronage tactics and urged them to desist from the belittling act.

“We hear of shoes and bags made here in Aba, Nigeria being labeled as made-in-US … This is bad for our economy, and it is high time people knew that most of the things they buy are now produced in the country and not in Asia.

He encouraged the government to address the issue of that dumping of foreign products, as it is a contributing factor to the poor brand perception and loyalty to made-in-Nigeria goods.

Similarly,  the Lagos Zonal Coordinator of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) frowned at the trend, saying it was killing the manufacturing sector and referred to the practice as selling the nation’s ‘birthright’.

Mr Remi Bello, President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, (LCCI)  disclosed that apart from the challenge of power supply,  interest rates on loans for SMEs which must be reviewed downward, government must institute stiffer penalties for illegal importers of prohibited products. He however added that poor product quality and presentation and dumping of goods from other countries as contributing factors to the sad trend. He also added that the manufacturing sector needed a lot of supporting policies to break the hold of counterfeiting and dumping that was choking the market for local manufacturers.

The Minister of Trade and Investment Mr Olusegun Aganga, had in 2014, at a forum, disclosed government’s plan on a Local Patronage Bill in order to encourage the patronage of locally-made products.