The Chief Government Officer of Arone Applied sciences, Emmanuel Ezenwere, has cautioned towards Nigeria’s rising reliance on international companies for large-scale manufacturing, warning that such preparations might undermine native innovation and long-term industrial growth.
Ezenwere made the remarks in an unique interview with Nairametrics on Sunday, after Arone Applied sciences signed a N12.95 billion partnership with the Institute of Administration and Expertise (IMT) in Enugu.
The deal covers the manufacturing of over 30,000 luminal items, greater than 5,000 drones yearly at full capability, and upwards of 200 AI servers.
Ezenwere argued that regardless of authorities claims of making an enabling setting for native producers, main industrial partnerships are more and more being awarded to international corporations.
In December 2023, the Rural Electrification Company (REA) and the Nationwide Company for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) signed a $150 million battery manufacturing settlement with Chinese language buyers.
Throughout a presidential go to to Huawei’s analysis centre, the corporate additionally unveiled DigiTruck, a platform designed to spice up digital literacy in underserved communities.
The settlement was facilitated by the Power Fee of Nigeria (ECN) throughout a follow-up go to to China after an earlier memorandum of understanding had been signed.
The manufacturing unit is anticipated to satisfy rising home demand for renewable power tools.
Ezenwere criticised such collaborations with Chinese language companies, significantly in photo voltaic panel manufacturing, arguing that they threat discouraging native industrial efforts.
He attributed the pattern to what he described as restricted long-term strategic pondering.
The Arone Applied sciences CEO warned that neglecting indigenous producers might enable international rivals to entrench their dominance in Nigeria’s industrial panorama.
Ezenwere urged policymakers to prioritise indigenous producers and construct an ecosystem that enables native corporations to scale competitively.
Final 12 months, power skilled Theophilus Nweke criticised the Federal Authorities’s proposed plan to ban photo voltaic panel imports.
Talking on the 2025 Lagos Power Summit, Nweke questioned the practicality of the coverage and known as for stronger governance and private-sector-led development within the renewable power area.
The proposed import restriction, introduced by the Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, is aimed toward stimulating home photo voltaic panel manufacturing by limiting international provide.
