President Tinubu’s Executive Order to Counter Manufacturing Exodus
President Bola Tinubu is gearing up to unveil an Executive Order aimed at halting the exodus of manufacturing firms from the country, citing a purportedly hostile operating environment as the impetus.
Comprehensive Solutions to Manufacturing Challenges
Thisday reports that the forthcoming executive order, jointly prepared by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, will encompass practical solutions, immediate wins, and both medium and long-term strategies to effectively and permanently tackle the challenges faced by the manufacturing sector.
Notably, measures may be included to potentially reduce or outright ban the importation of syringes and needles.
Ministerial Meeting Addresses Key Issues
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Tunji Alausa, and Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, conducted discussions with medical syringe and needles manufacturers in Abuja.
Alausa emphasized the president’s directive to reduce pharmaceutical and medical supplies’ costs, expressing satisfaction with the outcomes of the meeting.
Quotable Statements from the Ministers
Minister Alausa stated, “We just had a very good meeting with the needle and syringes manufacturers in Nigeria – the five companies that are still operating today.”
He highlighted the incorporation of immediate, medium, and long-term solutions into the impending executive order.
Minister Uzoka-Anite affirmed the president’s commitment to eliminate impediments to industrialization, stating, “The meeting today is one of those in which after deliberations, we have been able to remove the bottlenecks affecting the needles and syringe industry.”
She assured manufacturers of expedited policy responses and emphasized the simplicity of policy changes required to address manufacturing challenges.
Government’s Mandate and Assurance to Manufacturers
Minister Uzoka-Anite shared the broader government mandate received from the president to address challenges across all manufacturing segments.
She reassured manufacturers that policy interventions would be swiftly implemented to ensure affordable, high-quality medicines and greater public access