Daily Trust (Abuja)
30 April 2004
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has stressed the significance of infrastructure to the growth and survival of any industry.
The president of MAN, Mr Charles Ugwu, stated this Wednesday in Abuja at the end of a two-day workshop on "Promoting Made-in-Nigeria Pharmaceutical Products."
Mr Ugwu, who was represented by the chairman of the occasion, Dr Ifeanyi Okoye, said that a nation that has limited infrastructure would remain limited in the production of goods and services and thus crawls at snail speed to industrial growth.
In a paper entitled "Provision of Infrastructure for industrial growth," Ugwu said that road, water, electricity, security, telecommunications and finance are necessary for industrial growth.
Mr Ugwu stressed that lack of these essential infrastructures, therefore, could prevent the growth and even lead to the collapse of existing industries.
"This can manifest in the form of low capacity utilisation, on-line production, distortion, storage problems for both raw materials and finished goods, increase in production costs, which implies high cost of the locally made products.
"This equally encourages smuggling. Dumping of imported fake and adulterated products and will have untold effect on the health of the nation, especially if pharmaceuticals are involved," he stated.
He said that investments in Africa have been very low due to lack of essential infrastructures.
"No industry can exist, survive or grow without the existence of essential infrastructures. All hands must be on deck for the survival of any nation, especially a developing nation like Nigeria, " Mr Ugwu implored.
He called on government to ensure regular repair and maintenance of existing infrastructures and the privatisation of the energy sector, to ensure better management and efficient service delivery to the populace.
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