Business
NQP’ll Position Nigeria Among 20 Industrialised Nations – Aganga
The Minister of Industry,
Trade and Investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga, said the National Quality Policy (NQP) document would position Nigeria among the top 20 industrialised nations if implemented.
Aganga said this when the National Steering Committee (NSC) presented the final copy of the Nigerian National Quality Policy (NNQP) document to the minister in Abuja on Wednesday.
“This is a document by Nigerians for Nigerians for a common goal to reposition the country among the top 20 industrialised nations in the world over time,’’ he said.
The Tide source reports that the policy is aimed at establishing the appropriate framework for the development and publication of national standards.
The committee was inaugurated in January 2014 by the Federal Government to harmonise the quality policy of Nigeria and support the implementation of the Nigerian National Quality Policy.
The minister said that the document would be reviewed and sent to the Federal Executive Council for approval and subsequent legislation to facilitate its implementation in all its ramifications.
“Industrialisation is process and that journey, that train has started. We have started the process and must not allow the train to stop.
“It is the only way we can move from a poor nation to rich nation, from a nation that specialises on the importation of raw materials to a nation that exports processed products.
“No nation anywhere in the world has managed from being a poor to rich nation when it relied on exporting raw materials as we did yesterday and today without having strong industries,’’ he said.
The minister said that the more a nation specialised in exporting raw materials, the poorer it would become, adding, “it is what the industrial revolution plan seeks to reverse.’’
Aganga said that the NNQP was part of National Quality Infrastructure Project (NQIP) put in place to achieve quality products.
He said that the components of NQIP consist of national metrological institute, the national accreditation body, the private sector capacity development and consumer protection to complement NQP.
He said that the government was committed to actualising the implementation of the document in line with the goals and objectives of the transformation agenda of this administration.
He said that the policy document was foundation for safety regulatory framework to assist Nigeria achieve innovation, technology, industrialisation, quality services and quality lifestyles from NQP implementation.
The minister said that the various targeted sectors of the economy were captured in the document and its recommendations would be implemented.
Aganga said that the country had been promoting industrialisation through adding value to commodities, improve the competitiveness of made in Nigeria goods and services, diversifying economy and revenue sources.
He said that the NQP was an indispensable tool for the implementation of the new national trade policy and strategy to integrate Nigerian industrial trade and investment priorities.
He said that Nigerian products were yet to meet the international standards as a large number were rejected because they were not safe for consumption in Europe, America and Canada.
He said that the country had invested in time, money and people to develop quality infrastructure to ensure the country become economy Africa deserved.
He said that compilation of this document was government’s commitment to diversify the economy and improve the competitiveness of local industries, adding, “it is pre-requisite for increasing foreign earnings from non-oil related sector.’’
“The presentation of this document is another milestone in the implementation of Nigeria Industrial Revolution plan. It is a plan that seeks to diversify the economy and revenue sources of the country.
“The policy focuses on the areas where we have competitive and comparative advantage where Nigeria can be number one in Africa and the top 10 player globally. It looked across the value chain globally of each sector,’’ he said.
He said that the document was tied to national development programme of transformation agenda, industrial priorities of the steel ministry, the gas revolution of the Ministry of Petroleum and the integrated mass supply of Ministry of National Planning.
He said that the factors which would make the country competitive include access to affordable finances, infrastructures and power and industrial skills, linking innovations to industries and issue of standard.
He commended the committee, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), EU and UNIDO for their support in different forms in making the document a success.