By Uloma Peace Okorie
Professor Ike-Muonso unveils technology-driven industrialisation agenda, calls for concrete deals at second African Raw Materials Summit
The Director-General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Professor Martins Ike-Muonso Nnanyelugo, has challenged African leaders, policymakers, researchers, manufacturers and investors to move beyond rhetoric and embrace practical commitments that will transform the continent’s abundant natural resources into industrial wealth, jobs and sustainable economic prosperity.
He declared that Africa could no longer afford to remain a supplier of raw materials to foreign industries while importing finished products manufactured from its own resources, insisting that local processing and value addition must become the foundation of the continent’s industrial transformation.
Professor Ike-Muonso made the call while delivering his address at the second African Raw Materials Summit (ARMS) 2026 in Abuja, which brought together policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, investors and other stakeholders to explore strategies for accelerating resource-based industrialisation across Africa.
Speaking on the summit’s theme, “From African Feedstock to African Factory,” the RMRDC boss described the gathering as an opportunity for African countries to rethink their approach to natural resource management and adopt a development model that prioritises local manufacturing, technology acquisition, industrial investment and economic self-reliance.
According to him, the continent’s enormous mineral and agricultural resources should serve as the foundation for strong domestic industries rather than continue to fuel manufacturing and employment opportunities in other parts of the world.
He lamented that Africa had continued to export valuable raw materials without capturing a sufficient share of the wealth generated from processing them into finished and intermediate products.
“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, stressing that the continent must urgently change this pattern to secure a prosperous future for its people.
The RMRDC Director-General maintained that the time had come for African countries to take ownership of their industrial future by building the capacity to process their raw materials locally, manufacture finished goods and participate more competitively in global value chains.
He emphasised that the summit must produce more than impressive speeches and declarations, urging participants to commit themselves to tangible industrial projects and partnerships that would deliver measurable economic benefits.
“Let the second African Raw Materials Summit not be remembered for eloquent speeches alone, but for concrete industrial deals signed,” he challenged delegates.
Tinubu’s Administration and Nigeria’s Industrial Transformation Agenda
Professor Ike-Muonso also highlighted the importance of purposeful political leadership and consistent economic policies in driving industrial development, noting that the transformation of raw materials into finished products requires long-term planning, strategic investment and a predictable policy environment.
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for promoting local production through the Nigeria First policy framework introduced in May 2025, which seeks to leverage public procurement to support domestic manufacturers.
According to him, government purchasing power can stimulate demand for locally manufactured products and provide the market confidence required for businesses to expand production, invest in machinery and create employment opportunities.
He explained that when government procurement favours products manufactured locally, it creates opportunities for Nigerian industries to grow while reducing excessive dependence on imported goods.
The RMRDC boss also highlighted the Nigeria Industrial Policy 2025 as an important framework for strengthening national competitiveness, expanding employment and encouraging the use of locally sourced raw materials in manufacturing.
He stressed that policies promoting local processing must be supported by practical implementation measures, including access to technology, industrial financing, research commercialisation and incentives for domestic manufacturers.
Professor Ike-Muonso further identified the proposed 30 per cent raw materials value-addition requirement as a significant step towards changing Nigeria’s position in global value chains.
He explained that stronger local processing requirements would encourage investors to establish processing facilities within the country, stimulate demand for Nigerian raw materials and create opportunities for the development of industrial clusters.
The RMRDC chief argued that Nigeria’s industrial transformation must be built around the country’s natural resource advantages, with government policies encouraging the conversion of those resources into products that can serve domestic and international markets.
RMRDC Bridges the Gap Between Research and Industrial Production
A major highlight of Professor Ike-Muonso’s address was his emphasis on the Council’s efforts to bridge the longstanding gap between research outcomes and practical industrial applications.
He explained that research institutions must move beyond generating scientific knowledge to developing technologies and machinery that manufacturers can use to process raw materials efficiently and competitively.
According to him, the Council is pursuing a technology-driven approach designed to ensure that Nigerian industries have access to affordable, locally adapted processing equipment.
“Moving aggressively beyond conceptual research, RMRDC has designed, fabricated and deployed pilot processing plants and industrial machinery,” he stated.
He identified some of the technologies developed by the Council as mineral beneficiation units, high-grade lithium concentration systems, agro-processing mills and chemical extraction technologies.
These interventions, he explained, are intended to strengthen local processing capacity, reduce dependence on imported industrial machinery and enable Nigerian manufacturers to derive greater value from the country’s agricultural and mineral resources.
The Director-General stressed that locally developed technologies are particularly important for small and medium-sized enterprises, which often struggle to acquire expensive processing equipment from overseas.
By developing machinery suited to Nigeria’s raw materials and operating conditions, he said, the Council is working to make industrial production more accessible to local entrepreneurs and manufacturers.
He added that strengthening domestic technology development would also help build indigenous technical expertise, support innovation and improve the competitiveness of Nigerian products.
Professor Ike-Muonso noted that the successful industrialisation of Nigeria would depend not only on the availability of raw materials but also on the country’s ability to develop the technology required to process them into valuable products.
He therefore called for stronger collaboration among research institutions, universities, manufacturers, investors and government agencies to accelerate the commercial application of research findings.
RMRDC Deploys Data Platform to Map Raw Materials and Industrial Demand
In another major initiative, Professor Ike-Muonso disclosed that the Council had deployed a data-driven platform to improve information about raw material deposits, their geographical distribution, processing capacity and manufacturing demand.
He identified the Nigerian Industrial Statistical System for Raw Materials and Products (NISR) as a comprehensive platform designed to support evidence-based industrial planning and investment decisions.
The platform, he explained, is intended to provide information that can help investors identify available raw materials, determine where they are located and assess opportunities for establishing processing and manufacturing facilities.
He stressed that reliable information is essential to industrial development because investors require a clear understanding of the availability, quality and quantity of raw materials before committing resources to large-scale production.
By improving access to such information, the Council aims to strengthen the connection between raw material suppliers and manufacturers while encouraging investments in areas with significant industrial potential.
Professor Ike-Muonso also highlighted the importance of international technology partnerships, disclosing that the Council was developing strategic relationships with global research institutions, including the National Research Centre for Engineering and Technology Innovation in Shanghai, China.
He explained that such partnerships, alongside collaboration with domestic development finance institutions such as the Bank of Industry, could help accelerate technology transfer, commercialise indigenous research and expand industrial production.
According to him, the objective is to ensure that research discoveries do not remain on laboratory shelves but are converted into commercially viable technologies, processing plants and manufacturing enterprises.
He maintained that the combination of reliable raw materials data, locally developed machinery, international technology partnerships and industrial financing would help Nigeria strengthen its position in global manufacturing.
Africa Must Stop Exporting Wealth and Importing Finished Products
Professor Ike-Muonso called attention to the contradiction between Africa’s enormous natural resource endowment and its limited participation in the processing and manufacturing activities that generate substantial economic value.
He noted that the continent possesses vast deposits of minerals and agricultural commodities that could support industries ranging from electric vehicle battery production and renewable energy to food processing, chemicals and advanced manufacturing.
However, he argued that exporting these resources without adequate local processing deprives African countries of opportunities to create jobs, develop technical expertise and increase national income.
He cited the growing global demand for minerals such as lithium and cobalt as evidence of the opportunities available to resource-rich African countries.
Rather than exporting such minerals in their raw form, he said, African countries should develop the capacity to process them into intermediate products and industrial inputs required by battery manufacturers and other technology-driven industries.
He similarly called for greater investment in agricultural processing to ensure that commodities produced across the continent generate more income for farmers, entrepreneurs and local communities.
The RMRDC chief maintained that the development of local value chains would help African economies capture a larger share of the wealth generated from their natural resources.
He also stressed that local processing could stimulate the growth of supporting industries, including packaging, transportation, equipment manufacturing, logistics and industrial services.
Such a development, he explained, would create a multiplier effect across the economy, generating employment opportunities and strengthening domestic markets.
Nigeria First Policy and Raw Materials Value Addition
The RMRDC boss further underscored the importance of policies that encourage manufacturers to source raw materials locally and establish processing facilities within Nigeria.
He noted that local sourcing policies could stimulate demand for domestic agricultural and mineral resources, provide reliable markets for producers and encourage investment in processing infrastructure.
He also highlighted the importance of protecting emerging processing industries while ensuring that they become competitive through technological improvements, access to finance and efficient production systems.
According to him, the development of local industries requires a coordinated framework that connects raw material producers with processors, manufacturers, financial institutions and markets.
He said the Council was committed to providing the research, technology and policy support needed to accelerate this process.
Professor Ike-Muonso added that the proposed value-addition framework would be more effective when supported by reliable data, appropriate processing technologies, adequate financing and strong enforcement mechanisms.
He maintained that Nigeria must develop a clear pathway for converting its natural resources into industrial products rather than relying excessively on imported goods.
AfCFTA Offers Africa an Opportunity to Build Regional Industries
The Director-General also drew attention to the opportunities offered by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which provides a framework for expanding trade among African countries.
He argued that the agreement could help create larger markets for African manufacturers, but warned that its full benefits would remain limited unless countries developed the industrial capacity to produce competitive goods locally.
According to him, Africa must strengthen regional supply chains by encouraging countries to specialise in different stages of raw material processing and manufacturing.
He explained that countries with significant mineral deposits could develop processing industries, while others could contribute through equipment manufacturing, agricultural production, chemical processing and the supply of industrial services.
Such cooperation, he said, would reduce dependence on external suppliers, expand intra-African trade and create opportunities for industries to operate across national borders.
Professor Ike-Muonso urged African governments to support policies that encourage investment in regional value chains and promote the exchange of technology, expertise and industrial inputs.
He maintained that a stronger regional manufacturing base would improve Africa’s ability to compete in international markets and respond to the growing demand for processed raw materials.
Five Priorities for Accelerating Africa’s Industrialisation
Looking ahead, Professor Ike-Muonso challenged summit participants to translate discussions into actionable commitments capable of accelerating industrial development.
His address emphasised the need for stronger political leadership, increased investment in local processing, technology development, effective partnerships and improved access to information about raw material availability and industrial demand.
He also called for closer collaboration among governments, research institutions, manufacturers, investors and financial institutions to ensure that projects move from the planning stage to actual production.
The Council’s approach, he explained, is to connect research with industrial execution by developing practical technologies, supporting local beneficiation and encouraging investment in processing facilities.
He urged participants to use the summit to identify bankable projects, strengthen industrial partnerships and establish measurable targets for local value addition.
He said Africa must demonstrate the political will to implement policies that protect national economic interests while creating a favourable environment for investment and sustainable industrial growth.
The Director-General maintained that the success of the summit should ultimately be measured by the number of viable industrial projects developed, the investments mobilised, the jobs created and the quantity of raw materials processed locally.
A Call for Action, Not Declarations
In his concluding remarks, Professor Ike-Muonso urged delegates to seize the opportunity presented by the summit to make decisions that would shape the continent’s economic future.
He stressed that Africa’s industrial transformation would not happen through declarations alone but through sustained commitment, practical partnerships and investments in productive capacity.
He called on African countries to make local processing and manufacturing central to their economic development strategies, insisting that the continent must take greater responsibility for determining how its natural resources are utilised.
The RMRDC boss reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to the successful implementation usupporting Nigeria’s industrialisation agenda through research, technology development, raw materials information and partnerships with industry.
He expressed optimism that the summit would strengthen cooperation among African countries and generate concrete industrial opportunities capable of transforming the continent’s raw materials into lasting economic prosperity.
For Professor Ike-Muonso, the message was clear: Africa’s future lies not merely in the resources beneath its soil, but in the industries, technologies, jobs and wealth it builds from them.
He urged participants to ensure that the second African Raw Materials Summit would mark a turning point in the continent’s pursuit of industrial self-reliance, local value addition and sustainable economic development.
