Nigerian government to revive tanneries

The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced plans to improve leather tanneries across the country. Facilities in the cities of Aba, Kaduna and Kano are reportedly to be upgraded to a world-class standard.
According to Dr Olusegun Aganga, minister of industry, trade and investment, the government is to audit all tanneries which are not working efficiently, with a view to re-tooling and reviving those which are still deemed to be viable.

During a recent presentation, Dr Aganga commented that out of the 36 tanneries in Nigeria, there are only six units which account for the bulk of the country’s exported leather. He explained that the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), and the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) through the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) has been directed to audit all tanneries in Nigeria and, thereafter, work with the owners of the factories most likely to succeed to create effective production processes.

Clusters in six zones have been identified to receive the upgrade over the next 18 months. The Kano leather cluster is already claimed to be one of the most important in West Africa, as it sources considerable quantities of hides and skin from outside Nigeria to meet demand.

Dr Aganga explained that the Federal Government is to provide the infrastructure required to support the growth and development of the leather clusters, as part of the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP). The government has stated that it aims to use the NIRP to increase revenue from the country’s manufacturing sector by $20 billion over the next five years. The target includes a doubling of revenue from tanneries and leather-related manufacturing within the next three years. NEDEP is working with a number of micro, small and medium enterprises to formalise their operations, to allow governmental incentives to be channelled in the best possible way.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 7 of the November 2013 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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