Business

NCDMB, MT Group Partner On Valves Manufacturing … As Board Inspects Firm’s Capabilities

Published

9 months ago

April 25, 2025

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has stated its resolve to partner an oil and gas industry valves manufacturing firm, MT Group, on enhancement of its capabilities.
The Board disclosed this on Wednesday during a visit to the firm’s West Africa Free Zone at the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos by its delegation.
A statement from the Board’s Directorate of Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination added that the visit was to assess the firm’s operations and plans to invest in a 15,000 tons per year valves manufacturing facility.
The Tide learnt that the firm is a subsidiary of MT Group, a global manufacturer of industrial valves, with presence across Africa, Middle East and Asia.
According to the NCDMB, the firm manufactures 60,000 tons of valves per year from its plant at Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with cutting-edge research and development center and manufacturing base at Shanghai, China, its global headquarters.
Led by the Special Technical Assistant to the Board’s Executive Secretary, Engr. Harmony Kunu, Manager Media and Publicity, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, and Manager, Commercial Ventures, Ms. Chika Enwerem, the Board’s delegation re-emphasised the need for stronger synergy and commitment.
MT Valves West Africa was represented by the Managing Director, Mr. Thomas Zhang, and Sales Director, Mr. Elliot Aigbokhade during the visit.
The duo of the company’s officials said their firm specialises in the design and supply of various kinds of industrial valves to the oil and gas industry, petrochemical and allied sectors and was currently a vendor to Shell, Nigeria, despite being set up in the nation few years ago.
While conducting the NCDMB officials through the company’s plants and shop floor, the firm’s representatives said their operations in Nigeria were in adherence to the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.
“MT Valves has started the processes of establishing an advanced manufacturing workshop at Lekki Free Zone, which would serve as a hub for value addition locally, capacity building and compliance with national development objectives.
“There’s no firm that is currently manufacturing industrial valves in Nigeria yet, and so the firm aimes to close this critical gap by developing a facility similar to our factory in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, which supplies several countries across the world.
“The Lekki facility is projected to start with an initial production capacity of 15,000 valves per year, with a strategic focus that includes phased growth, local value addition, and development of a resilient supply chain.
“The investment plan targets the Nigerian market, taking into cognizance the projects in the funnel, with potential to supply to the regional market.The facility will also carry out maintenance and repair services, as well as assembly and manufacturing operations”, the firm said.
The company’s officials outlined plans to secure necessary certifications from the NCDMB and other relevant agencies and demonstrate return on investment potential, noting that their plans include sourcing some raw materials from the local supply chain, creation of employment opportunities, actively engaging Nigerian partners and training Nigerians overseas and locally to work in the facility.
“We want NCDMB to be an integral part of our investment journey. Already some equipment had been installed in this facility, while other critical equipment were currently being sailed to Nigeria”, the firm’s managers noted.
A statement from the Directorate of Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination of the Board added that the firm’s officials also sought the Board’s support and regulatory backing for their investment as well as introduction to players in the oil and gas industry to facilitate patronage.
Responding, the NCDMB officials conveyed the agency’s backing for credible investments in the Nigerian oil and gas sector, capacity building and gap closures, in line with the provisions of the NOGICD Act.
“The mantra of the Nigerian Content Act is domiciliation and domestication of critical industry capacities, to create job opportunities for Nigerians, in line with the mandate of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and industrialize the nation’s economy.
“We challenge MT Valves West Africa Free Zone to develop a robust investment plan, specifying milestones and targets and projected Nigerian content values, planned sources of raw materials and projected contributions to the economy.
“The NCDMB also wishes to invite you to participate at the forthcoming Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF) planned for May 20-22, 2025, where you’ll get updated on new projects and opportunities planned by industry players and market potentials for your investment”, the NCDMB officials said.
On their part, MT Valves invited officials of government and other key agencies like Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (NLNG), and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) Ltd. to visit the firm’s facilities at Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and global headquarters at Shanghai, China, to appreciate their company’s capacities and the scale of investment they plan to make in Nigeria.

Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

Business

AFAN Unveils Plans To Boost Food Production In 2026

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

The Tide

The leadership of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has set the tone for the new year with a renewed focus on food security, unity and long-term growth of the agricultural sector.

The association announced that its General Assembly of Farmers Congress will take place from January 15 to 17, 2026 at the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industries, along Lugbe Airport Road, in the Federal Capital Territory.

The gathering is expected to bring together farmers, policymakers, investors and development partners to shape a fresh direction for Nigerian agriculture.

In a New Year address to members and stakeholders, AFAN president, Dr Farouk Rabiu Mudi, said the congress would provide a strategic forum for reviewing past challenges and outlining practical solutions for the future.

He explained that the event would serve as a rallying point for innovation, collaboration and economic renewal within the sector.

Mudi commended farmers across the country for their determination and hard work, despite years of insecurity, climate-related pressures and economic uncertainty.

According to him, their resilience has kept food production alive and positioned agriculture as a stabilising force in the national economy.

He noted that AFAN intends to build on this strength by resetting agribusiness operations to improve productivity and sustainability.

The AFAN leader appealed to government institutions, private investors and development organisations to deepen their engagement with the association.

He stressed the need for collective action to confront persistent issues such as insecurity in farming communities, climate impacts and market instability.

He also urged members to put aside internal disputes and personal interests, encouraging cooperation and shared responsibility in pursuit of national development.

Mudi outlined key priorities that include increasing food output, expanding support for farmers at the grassroots and strengthening local manufacturing through partnerships with both domestic and international investors adding that reducing dependence on imports remains critical to protecting the economy and creating jobs.

He stated that the upcoming congress will feature the launch of AFAN’s twenty-five-year agricultural mechanisation roadmap, alongside the announcement of new partnerships designed to accelerate growth across the value chain.

Participants, he said wi also have opportunities for networking and knowledge exchange aimed at transforming agriculture into a more competitive and technology-driven sector.

As part of its modernisation drive, AFAN is further encouraging members nationwide to enrol for the newly introduced Digital ID Card.

Mudi said the initiative will improve transparency, ensure proper farmer identification and make it easier to access support programmes and services.

Reaffirming the association’s long-term goal, he said the vision of national food sufficiency by 2030 remains achievable if unity and collaboration are sustained.

He expressed optimism that with collective effort, Nigeria’s agricultural sector can overcome its challenges and deliver a more secure and prosperous future.

Lady Usendi

Business

Industrialism, Agriculture To End Food Imports, ex-AfDB Adviser Tells FG

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

The Tide

Former Senior Special Adviser on Industrialisation to the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Professor Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, has urged the Nigerian government to urgently industrialise the agricultural sector as a pathway to food security, economic diversification, and sustainable job creation.

Professor Oyelaran-Oyeyinka made the call while speaking at the Oyo State Economic Summit held at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, during a lecture titled “Industrialising Agriculture for Economic Development and Food Security: Enhancing National Economies and Sub-National Entities.”

He cautioned that despite Nigeria’s vast arable land and its position as a leading global producer of crops such as cassava and yams, the country remains food-deficient and heavily dependent on costly food imports.

He highlighted that Nigeria spends over one trillion naira annually importing wheat, rice, sugar, and fish, a persistent trend that drains foreign exchange, undermines local farmers, weakens industrial competitiveness, and fuels unemployment.

The development economist argued that the solution lay in transforming agriculture from a subsistence activity into a modern, industrial enterprise capable of producing surplus, supporting manufacturing, and driving broad-based economic growth.

He explained that industrialising agriculture does not mean replacing rural communities with factories, but rather empowering farmers with technology, skills, infrastructure, and market access to raise productivity and incomes.

According to Professor Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, Nigeria’s low agricultural productivity reflected deeper structural challenges, including weak education systems, limited skills, and inadequate investment in technology and infrastructure.

He noted that countries that successfully transitioned from low-income to middle-income status did so by modernising agriculture alongside industrial development, creating strong linkages between farms, processing industries, and markets.

Oyelaran-Oyeyinka highlighted stark yield disparities between Africa and Asia, noting that cereal yields across African countries remain less than a third of those achieved in East Asia.

This gap, he said, explains why African economies struggle to compete globally and why industrialisation efforts have stalled.

Professor Oyelaran-Oyeyinka outlined key pillars of agricultural industrialisation, including mechanisation, value addition, integrated supply chains, access to finance, improved seed systems, and targeted investment in human and technological capabilities.

He stressed that farms must be treated as “factories without roofs,” capable of feeding into agro-processing, manufacturing, and export industries.

The visiting professor at The Open University in Milton Keynes said the economic benefits of such a transformation would be far-reaching, including reduced dependence on oil, large-scale job creation, significant foreign exchange savings, and stronger national food security.

Drawing lessons from Vietnam, he described how deliberate agricultural modernisation helped transform the Southeast Asian country from a food importer into one of the world’s leading exporters of rice, coffee, cashew, and seafood.

Vietnam’s agribusiness exports, he said, now generate tens of billions of dollars annually and underpin the country’s wider industrial success.

He attributed Vietnam’s success to consistent policies, heavy investment in agro-processing, strong farmer–industry linkages, and the use of special economic zones to drive value addition and export competitiveness.

Oyelaran-Oyeyinka noted that similar models are emerging in Nigeria, including in Oyo State, but warned that they require reliable infrastructure, policy stability, and empowered governance to succeed.

The professor called on state governments to prioritise power, roads, and logistics, strengthen agricultural extension services, and create efficient special agro-industrial processing zones that attract major domestic and international investors.

He also urged the private sector to view agriculture as a profitable business frontier rather than a social obligation, noting that Nigeria’s future prosperity depended less on oil and more on harnessing the productive potential of its land and people.

“We are a nation that can feed itself and others, yet we remain food-insecure and overly dependent on imports. This paradox is holding back our economy.”

“Industrialising agriculture does not erase our rural roots; it transforms them into engines of productivity, wealth creation and national development.”

“Subsistence agriculture is both a cause and a consequence of technological backwardness, and no country has reached middle-income status without first modernising its agriculture.”

“A farm must be treated as a factory without a roof, connected to processing, logistics, finance and markets. Vietnam shows that agricultural transformation is not accidental; it is the result of deliberate policies that link farmers to industry and global markets.”

“The seeds of Nigeria’s prosperity are not buried in oil wells; they are sown in the fertile soils of our ecological zones,” he said.

Lady Usendi

Business

Cashew Industry Can Generate $10bn Annually- Association

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

The Tide

The President of the National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN), Dr Ojo Ajanaku, has said Nigeria could earn $10 billion annually from cashew production, with $3 billion coming from cashew sales alone.

Ajanaku made this known during a press conference organised ahead of the 4th National Cashew Day, scheduled to hold from Jan. 22 to Jan. 24 in Abuja, with the the theme: “Unlocking the Full Potential of Nigeria’s Cashew Industry”.

He said that poor export documentation and weak repatriation of proceeds were causing major losses to the Nigerian economy.

“A substantial volume of cashew exported from Nigeria leaves the country without proper export proceeds forms, as exporters allegedly avoid bringing earnings back into the country,” he said.

He said during the last export season alone, Nigeria reportedly exported over 400,000 tonnes of cashew valued at about $700 million.

Ajanaku noted that deliberate investments in production and processing could unlock far greater potentials.

“If Nigeria produces just two million tonnes of cashew annually, which is achievable in less than five years, and sells at an average of $1,500 per tonne, the country would earn about $3 billion yearly,” he said.

He added that beyond raw cashew exports, enormous value lies in processing and by-products such as Cashew Nut Shell Fluid (CNSF) and cashew cake, which are largely wasted locally.

“In Vietnam, cashew cake alone sells for about 95 cents per kilogram, while in Nigeria processors pay to dispose of it as waste,” he noted.

Ajanaku explained that full local processing of cashew and its by-products could generate not less than $10 billion annually for Nigeria while creating thousands of jobs across the value chain.

He stressed that Nigeria has the production capacity, while countries like Vietnam possess advanced processing technology.

The NCAN President further disclosed that the association is strengthening partnerships with key government institutions, including the Ministry of Finance, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, NEXIM Bank, and other agencies to reposition the sector.

He added that a landmark Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Nigeria and Vietnam to facilitate technology transfer and deepen cooperation in cashew processing.

He expressed optimism that with sustained government support and effective regulation, the cashew industry could become a major driver of economic growth, foreign exchange earnings, and industrial development in Nigeria.

“Producing states should be given priority. For example, Kogi State, which has the highest cashew production in the country, has no factory. A lot of potentials can come from Kogi State for the country,” he said.

Also speaking, NCAN National Secretary, Augustine Edieme, said strategic plans are being made to showcase Nigeria’s potentials during the 4th National Cashew Day, which he described as a key opportunity to attract bigger investments and investors into the industry.

“We are not just talking about the cashew seeds. We need to crack the fruit shell and discover the value in cashew shells. Industrialisation of the cashew industry is key to driving the Nigerian economy,” he said.

The representative of the Federation of Agricultural Commodity Associations of Nigeria (FACAN), Sunday Ojonugwa, pledged that FACAN would optimally support the cashew association to ensure the sector reaches its full potential.

Lady Usendi