From militancy to manufacturing: N-Delta youths shock the world with locally made products

CALABAR — FOR many who thought that nothing good can
come out of Niger Delta, the up-to-the-minute promotion/
exhibition of products manufactured and packaged by some
ingenous youths of the region at Calabar, capital of Cross River
State is astonishing. Under the auspices of the Calabar Micro,
Medium and Small Enterprises Summit, powered by Growth and
Employment in States (GEMS4) in collaboration with Made in
Nigeria (MiN) Global Consulting Services, the youths displayed
items, including cooking burner (plate) that smolders with bio
fuel from cocoa, melon, afang, okro and other varieties of soup
packaged in ready to eat forms like noodles.
There was cocoa juice without sugar or preservatives, custard,
soap, accessories made from waste clothing materials among
others. Over time made in Nigeria goods have been perceived as
second-rate due to packaging and branding, but a lot has
changed in recent times following the intervention, financially
and otherwise of local and international agencies.
What the young manufacturers need
In a chat with Niger Delta Voice, Manufacturers Associa-tion of
Nigeria, MAN, Cross River/Akwa Ibom states branch, Elder
Obong Jackson, argued that gone were the days when Made- in
-Nigeria products were considered as sub- standard or not good
enough .
Made in Nigeriaproducts
“All the items you see being exhibited here today are all
sourced and made in Nigeria, the only thing we need,
especially the Niger Delta region is some form of
encouragement, either as loans and grants to enable such
manufacturers expand their businesses,” Jackson said.
According to him, “Another challenge they are facing is the
tedious and difficult process involved in registering most of the
products with NAFDAC,SON as well being able to register
company/products names, including getting patents to protect
your invention. All these have become obstacles to so many
entrepreneurs in the region.”
His words, “The procedures for registering most of the
products and entry points should be reviewed because it has
discouraged many young entrepreneurs from venturing into real
production and manufacturing, we really appreciate what
GMES4 and MiN Global are doing to help made in Nigeria
products grow.”
My husband and I invented cooking burner- Mrs Agbor
Speaking with Niger Delta Voice, an inventor, Mrs. Ndifreke
Agbor, revealed that the cooking burner she invented can cook
for 14 hours, 30 minutes with a litre of bio fuel and burns better
than gas.
She said, “What you are looking is completely the creation of me
and my husband, we are trying to get the patent before we start
mass production. As you can see, it has passed the entire test
and is certified. Immediately we get the patent, it will enter the
market, most of our inventions are cocoa- based, and we make
soaps, custard, and fruit juice and so on.”
Thanks to GMES4 and MiN Global
Another entrepreneur, Mr. Kufre Emmanuel, “Words alone
cannot explain how we feel today, because majority of the
people that consume our products are Nigerians, who live in the
Diaspora ,so you can imagine what this platform will do for us,
anywhere they are, all they need do is just to order.” He also
disclosed that the platform has eliminated many hurdles and
made it easier to do business, both in and outside the country
without stress.
NAFDAC barrier
Emmanuel, however, bemoaned how difficult it is to get
NAFDAC approval for a product, but also commended the
agency for helping producers to maintain standards, while
appealing for a review of the procedure, especially at entry
point. “We have varieties of packaged soup, and we have to
register all of them differently according to NAFDAC standard
and it will cost of lot of money but we are glad that the
platform created by MiN consult has eliminated the middle man
and it will do all of marketing too,” he added.
We mean well- NAFDAC coordinator
Cross-River state NAFDAC coordinator, Mr. Isaiah Kolawole,
explained, “The way our operations are designed is not to be an
obstacle to anyone, but protecting the health of the nation is
very paramount to us. We also need manufactures to
understand that the right things must be done at all times, they
should also avoid cutting corners because it endangers the
health of the public.”
Our mission- Mendie
Senior Intervention Manager GEMS4, Mr. Micah Mendie, told
Niger Delta Voice, “We want to use this platform to encourage
made in Nigeria products as well as give them a space and
voice in the global market. It is an opportunity to prove that
our products can compete perfectly anywhere in the world, most
of the people you see here just need a little push and that is
what we represent.”
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