…RMRDC DG in strategic high level meetings, engages key stakeholders in Lagos preparatory to the summit
By Dele Ogbodo
In a strategic move to galvanize support and foster collaboration ahead of the much-anticipated African Raw Materials Summit, the Director General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Nnanyelugo Martins Ike-Muonso, has embarked on a high-level stakeholder engagement and sensitization tour across Lagos State.
The summit, which is scheduled to hold from May 20th to 22nd, 2025, in Abuja, at the Continental Hotel is set to bring together key players across the raw materials value chain in Africa.
The stakeholders’ engagement exercise, among several other initiatives of the DG, marks a milestone towards convening Africa for a first-of-its-kind interactive session on charting a new course for the continent’s economic development.
As part of preparations for the landmark event, the DG, RMRDC, who led the team from RMRDC, started the visit to major industry players including Flour Mills Nigeria, BUA Group, OLAM Agri, Honeywell Flour Mills, etc all of whom are critical stakeholders in Nigeria’s agro-industrial sector.
The purpose of the tour was to sensitize these organizations to the upcoming Summit, explore collaborative opportunities, and secure their participation as partners in driving sustainable industrial development through the optimization of local raw materials.
At Flour Mills Nigeria (FMN), the DG and his team were warmly received by the company’s top management team Mr Chidinma Osuoha. The DG commended the company’s long-standing commitment to backward integration and raw materials sourcing from local farmers.
He stressed that the summit would offer a unique opportunity for Flour Mill and similar players to showcase their achievements, network with continental partners, and shape the future of Africa’s industrial growth. The DG noted that over 72 African countries have indicated participation.
He said the Summit was put together because of the limitation in raw material sourcing pointing the need to tap into the strength that exist in the African continent.
He said the proposed 30% Raw Material Value Addition Bill will help expand on the opportunities as it is to stop the export of local raw materials and add value before export. This will address the insufficiency of raw materials for local industries.
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He explained that RMRDC has developed a robust Raw Material Management Information System to further support industrial development.
“to ensure that producers like yourself have access to information rather than going outside to import raw materials that already exist in Nigeria. You know where they exist, you know the characteristics, you know all investment opportunities information relevant for you to take a decision whether you want to explore the opportunities locally or you still want to go import”, the DG stated.
The DG noted that the Summit is the first of its kind that is expected to make the continent of Africa take a position and competitive in the global raw material market.
The Consultant of the Summit, Prof. Bernard Odoh, while briefing on the purpose of the visit, emphasized the summit’s objective of creating a unified platform for African countries to share innovations, policies, and investment opportunities related to raw materials development. He observed that the Summit is a game changer with a lot of benefits and that will add value the industries.
He explained that sponsorship and partnerships opportunities are available in various categories, including Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze which allows organizations to explore opportunities to support the summit and contribute to the development of African raw materials sector.
Responding, the group head of procurement, Mr Chidinma Osuagwu commended the initiative of RMRDC stating that Flour Mill Nigeria is a group of company which patronizes local raw materials from Cassava, millet, wheat, maize etc.
He observed that the company has a mini company in Kano State for raw material processing aiming to expand the use of alternative flour products beyond traditional consumption patterns.
Chidinma, noted that the biggest raw material used by FMN is wheat which is predominantly imported because of the low production of wheat in Nigeria. He pointed that the country consumes about 600 tonnes of wheat annually but we can produce only about 60,000 tones annually.
Additionally, he said Flour Mills has a local inclusion scheme, through which it procures and processes grains such as sorghum and millet from Northern Nigeria.
“FMN have helped farmers with seedlings so we can grow the volumns of wheat that can be produced in Nigeria so that we can reduce importation which the exchange rate is not favourable. This summit is quite timely and will get FMN to partner in it. ”, he stated.
At Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, a subsidiary of Flour Mills of Nigeria, the RMRDC team was received by the Head of Site Operations, Mr. Isunoya Bonniface.
The Consultant and Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee of the Summit, Prof. Bernard Odoh, stated the purpose of the visit and emphasized that a partnership between Honeywell Flour Mills in the summit would yield mutual benefits.
Also, throwing light on the summit, the DG, pointed out that Africa’s raw materials market remains largely untapped, adding that the Summit would create numerous opportunities for networking, knowledge-sharing and exhibitions. He stressed the importance of exploring intra-African trade and industrial collaboration to reduce reliance on external imports.
He mentioned that the Council conducts varietal studies and noted that the issue of wheat variety development could be discussed more broadly at the Summit. He said that the summit would avail participants opportunity for valuable inputs from key stakeholders across the value-chain, contributing to the development of locally adaptable wheat varieties for industrial use.
In response, Mr. Bonniface acknowledged the critical role of raw materials in manufacturing, stating that they account for approximately 80% of business costs. He observed the importance of the summit to HoneyWells Limited as a subsidiary and the Flour Mill Nigeria in general.
At BUA group, the DG was received by company management staff headed by the Regional Manager, Health, Safety and Environment, Engr. Dr. Samuel Shokunbi and the Refinery Manager, Engr. Daniel Balogun, who welcomed the RMRDC team on behalf of the company’s Management.
Engr. Shokumbi said the company would be eager to partner with the Council on the Summit but will communicate the importance and benefits of the summit organization.
While at OLAM Agri Apapa Lagos, the team was received by the Procurement Manager (Imports), Mr. Olumide Fadeyi. The Director-General, Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, further expatiated on the need for high premium industries such as Olam to be part of the Summit, emphasizing its continental significance, with over 72 countries already confirmed to participate.
He highlighted the importance of raw materials processing and value-addition as a key focus of the event, stressing that Olam, as a major industry player, should actively partner with RMRDC. He reiterated that RMRDC seeks to engage the entire manufacturing industry and views Olam as a critical partner in this initiative.
The Consultant of the Summit, Prof. Bernard Odoh, highlighted that a partnership between Olam and RMRDC would be mutually beneficial to both organizations. He emphasized that Olam’s operations heavily depend on raw materials, a significant portion of which are imported due to insufficient local raw materials for production.
The collaboration, he noted, would create opportunities for both parties to drive sustainable raw material sourcing and industrial growth. He explained that the Legislative Bill on 30% value-addition, currently being pushed by RMRDC, aims to strengthen the local supply-chain and reduce dependence on imports.
He encouraged both government and private sector support in facilitating this process, thereby ensuring that industries have ready access to raw materials. He further highlighted that the Summit would serve as a platform to assemble key stakeholders across various sectors to enhance manufacturing processes. Given Olam’s strategic position at the top of the value-chain, he reiterated that the partnership would richly benefit the organization.
To formalize the engagement, Prof. Odoh presented the event brochure to Mr. Fadeyi, who graciously received it. He thanked the RMRDC team and acknowledged the efforts of RMRDC in promoting local raw materials development in Nigeria. He assured the RMRDC team that he would brief the Management accordingly, while feedback would be communicated in due course.
The DG was accompanied by the consultant in charge of the African Raw Material Summit and chairman local organizing committee, Prof. Bernad Odoh, the Director Planning and Statistics Mrs. Rachael Kotso, the Coordinator of Lagos State Office Mr. John Morinho, Assistant Director, Directorate of Corporate Affairs, Mrs. Stella Azi, Chief Information officer, Mrs. Adaora Adibe and other staff of the Council,
