Reduce ponmo consumption to boost leather industry- Expert tells Nigerians
Dr John Pakka, a solid mineral and agricultural expert has emphasised the need for moral discipline in reducing the consumption of ponmo (animal skin) to support the growth of Nigeria’s leather industry.
Pakka, said this at the 2025 North-east African Mineral Summit and Exhibition on Wednesday in Yola.
The theme of the summit was “Bridging Agriculture and Solid Mineral Value Chain Development Gap”.
Pakka in his presentation titled “Solid Minerals and Agricultural Value Chain Development” said the high demand for pomo has significantly hindered the availability of raw materials needed for leather production.
“In Nigeria, reviving the leather industry is challenging because a significant portion of animal skin, which should serve as raw material for leather products like bags, shoes, belts is instead consumed as food.
“This has limited the industry’s potential, ” he said.
He described the situation as a policy failure, noting that the depletion of raw materials had negatively impacted the sector.
Sharing insights from his research, he said that an animal’s skin constitutes less than five per cent of its total mass, while the meat makes up the remaining 95 per cent.
“I urge everyone to focus on consuming the 95 per cent that provides nutritional value and leave the five per cent for the leather industry.
“The skin has little to no nutritional benefit to humans but is essential for economic growth,” he said.
He said without government intervention and discipline in consumption habits, it would be difficult to develop certain sectors of the economy.
Pakka said that economic growth relies heavily on harnessing the agricultural and solid mineral value chains.
“For any country to achieve economic viability, wealth creation, and improved living standards, it must effectively explore agriculture and solid minerals,” he said
He identified agriculture and solid minerals as the key economic portfolios of the North-east region, saying the need for proper policies, programmes, and capacity building.
“A state, nation, or local government without well-developed agricultural policies cannot achieve significant growth in the sector.
“Policies such as land certification for shelter, agriculture, and mining are crucial,” he added.
The expert, however, expressed worried over the inability of the North-east government to develop people’s friendly policies that would attract prospective investors to invest in farming.
Pakka warned that the lack of land certification could hinder investment opportunities, as it limits the ability to offer equity contributions when seeking investors.
He called on the government and stakeholders to prioritise policies that support the leather and agricultural industries to drive economic growth.
Also speaking, Mrs Sosa Ali, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Industry, Adamawa, emphasised the need for increased awareness at the grassroots level.
Ali said the importance of educating local communities on the value chain in agriculture and solid minerals cannot be overemphasised.
She said such knowledge would play a crucial role in their participation at the same time increase economic productivity in communities.
The event attracted top government dignitaries and experts from the agricultural and solid mineral industries across West Africa.
