Manufacturing technologies crucial for sustainable development – NSE

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has said that the adoption of manufacturing technologies is imperative for economic growth and sustainable development.

Mr. Abioye Ayodele, Managing Director, BUA Foods Plc., and member of the NSE, made this submission at the 8th College of Fellows Round Table Symposium of the society on Monday in Abuja.

The theme of the symposium was “Re-Engineering and Organisational Competitiveness for Manufacturing Firms in Nigeria.”

According to Ayodele, embracing advanced manufacturing technologies will catalyse a transformative shift, unlocking a myriad of benefits for the nation.

“The adoption of manufacturing technology is not merely an option for Nigeria and Africa; by extension, it is a strategic necessity.

“It lays the foundation for economic advancement, innovation, and global competitiveness, positioning our nation as a dynamic player in the rapidly evolving landscape of the 21st century.

“For Nigeria’s manufacturing firms to be globally competitive amidst global market forces, we must focus on improving the manufacturing environment.

“Critical issues related to competitiveness measures must be deliberately addressed. These are issues such as strategic human capital development systems, education, work force investment, and productivity,” he said.

Ayodele added that partnership, research and development, technology and physical infrastructure systems, finance for unlocking technology, manufacturing, and support systems investment, among other issues, must be addressed.

He said that energy drives manufacturing, and therefore, a good energy systems policy should evolve.

“Enabling policy and diversification of local consumption, we must make a decision to consume what we produce, protect, and prioritise to buy made in Nigeria.

“Nations and companies are striving to advance to the next technological frontier and raise their economic well-being.

“Advanced technologies have become even more essential to company and country-level competitiveness,” Ayodele said.

Also speaking at the symposium, Mr. Wale Adediran, Chairman of the Governing Council, Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria, speaking on ‘Competitiveness and its Driving Factors’, said competition had its limits.

“Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point, but cooperation must be strived for today because it carries on where competition leaves off.

“We look at where we have comparative advantage, and we focus on it by looking at four critical factors that can enable a nation to be competitive.

“Competitiveness of a nation starts with the strategy of the whole nation, sophistication of the demand condition, the ecosystem of manufacturing itself, whether it is supportive or non-relative or not, and then the human and non-human resources.

“You then have the policy of the government itself and the overall vision of the nation.

“All professional bodies must come together to prompt the government to make good policies that will shape the manufacturing space, and this is achieved through cooperation and collaboration,” Adediran said.