RMRDC DG unveils technology-driven strategy, pushes investment deals to turn Nigeria’s resources into jobs, competitive industries
By Joy Omagha Idam
Africa’s industrial future will be determined not by the resources beneath its soil, but by its ability to transform them into factories, finished products, skilled jobs and lasting economic prosperity, the Director-General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Professor Martins Ike-Muonso Nnanyelugo, has declared.
At the second African Raw Materials Summit (ARMS) 2026 in Abuja, Ike-Muonso challenged African leaders, manufacturers, researchers and investors to end the continent’s dependence on exporting unprocessed commodities while importing products manufactured from its own resources.
His message was direct: Africa must build the industrial capacity to control more of the wealth generated from its natural resources or continue surrendering jobs, investment opportunities and economic advantages to other parts of the world.
Speaking on the summit’s theme, “From African Feedstock to African Factory,” the RMRDC chief called for practical industrial agreements, technology investments and partnerships that would translate the continent’s resource potential into measurable economic results.
“We have harvested the wealth beneath our soil, but we have continued to export our jobs, our wealth and the dreams of our youth,” he said.
He challenged delegates to ensure that the summit would be remembered for tangible achievements rather than speeches and declarations.
“Let the second African Raw Materials Summit not be remembered for eloquent speeches alone, but for concrete industrial deals signed,” he urged.
RMRDC Advances Homegrown Industrial Technology
Central to Ike-Muonso’s strategy is the development of indigenous technologies that enable Nigerian manufacturers to process local resources without depending excessively on expensive imported machinery.
He disclosed that RMRDC had designed, fabricated and deployed pilot processing plants and industrial equipment, including mineral beneficiation units, high-grade lithium concentration systems, agro-processing mills and chemical extraction technologies.
These interventions are intended to strengthen domestic production, support entrepreneurs and make processing technologies more accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises.
The initiative also addresses a longstanding weakness in Nigeria’s research and industrial ecosystem: the failure to translate many scientific discoveries into commercially viable products and manufacturing operations.
Ike-Muonso stressed that research must deliver practical solutions that industries can deploy to improve production and competitiveness.
He therefore called for stronger collaboration among universities, research institutions, manufacturers, government agencies and investors to accelerate technology transfer and commercialise indigenous innovations.
For Nigeria, developing machinery suited to its raw materials and operating conditions could help reduce production costs, build local technical expertise and create opportunities for new industrial enterprises.
Data Platform to Guide Investors
To strengthen investment planning, the RMRDC director-general highlighted the Nigerian Industrial Statistical System for Raw Materials and Products (NISR), a data-driven platform designed to provide information on raw material deposits, their geographical distribution, processing capacity and industrial demand.
The platform is intended to help investors identify resource-rich locations, assess the availability of essential inputs and make informed decisions about establishing processing plants and manufacturing facilities.
Reliable data, Ike-Muonso maintained, is critical to reducing uncertainty for investors and connecting raw material producers with industries that need their products.
He also identified international technology partnerships, including collaboration with the National Research Centre for Engineering and Technology Innovation in Shanghai, China, as part of efforts to strengthen research, innovation and technology transfer.
Collaboration with domestic development finance institutions, including the Bank of Industry, is equally important to securing the financing required to move research innovations into commercial production.
The approach positions the Council not only as a research institution but also as a potential bridge linking raw materials, technology, investment and industrial development.
Tinubu’s Nigeria First Policy Gets RMRDC Support
Ike-Muonso identified consistent government policies and purposeful leadership as essential to building a competitive industrial economy.
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for the Nigeria First policy framework introduced in May 2025, which seeks to promote domestic production through government procurement.
He argued that government purchasing power could provide local manufacturers with dependable markets, encourage investment in production facilities and strengthen demand for Nigerian-made goods.
He also cited the Nigeria Industrial Policy 2025 and the proposed 30 per cent raw materials value-addition requirement as important measures in the country’s industrialisation drive.
However, he stressed that policies must be supported by effective implementation, access to industrial finance, appropriate technology and incentives that encourage businesses to establish and expand production locally.
For Ike-Muonso, the objective is to create an environment in which Nigerian manufacturers can compete effectively while domestic resources become the foundation of a stronger productive economy.
AfCFTA Can Unlock Regional Industrial Power
Beyond Nigeria, the RMRDC chief urged African countries to leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to build regional manufacturing networks and expand trade in locally produced goods.
He argued that the agreement’s potential would remain limited unless African economies developed the capacity to supply competitive products and industrial inputs.
Countries could collaborate across different stages of production, drawing on their respective strengths in mineral resources, agriculture, equipment manufacturing, chemical processing and industrial services.
Such cooperation could expand intra-African trade, strengthen regional supply chains and reduce dependence on imported industrial inputs.
Ike-Muonso also highlighted opportunities in lithium and cobalt processing, battery-related industries, renewable energy, food processing and chemicals, noting that global demand for critical minerals presents African countries with opportunities to move into more sophisticated industrial activities.
In agriculture, stronger processing capacity could improve returns for farmers, create markets for local producers and stimulate enterprise development across rural communities.
He maintained that Africa must prepare to compete in emerging industries rather than remain confined to supplying the basic materials required by manufacturers elsewhere.
From Declarations to Measurable Results
As the summit seeks to strengthen industrial cooperation across Africa, Ike-Muonso urged participants to focus on bankable projects, investment commitments and partnerships capable of delivering measurable outcomes.
He said progress should be assessed through the industrial projects established, investments attracted, jobs created and processing capacity developed.
Achieving these objectives, he noted, requires sustained cooperation among governments, research institutions, financial institutions and private investors, alongside predictable policies and long-term planning.
RMRDC, he reaffirmed, remains committed to supporting Nigeria’s industrialisation through indigenous technology development, raw materials intelligence, research commercialisation and strategic partnerships.
The broader challenge is to transform Africa’s natural-resource advantage into an industrial advantage.
Under Ike-Muonso’s vision, the continent’s prosperity will depend on its ability to build the factories, technologies and skilled workforce needed to convert resource abundance into economic strength.
For the RMRDC director-general, ARMS 2026 must therefore mark a shift from identifying Africa’s industrial challenges to financing and implementing the solutions.
