Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, has hinted that the federal government has opened discussions with Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing Company and other key indigenous vehicle manufacturing companies with a view to producing ventilators in the country.
This move is coming on the heels of feats recorded by local manufacturers in the production of face masks.
According to the President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Engineer Mansur Ahmed, has increased Nigeria’s domestic production capacity for face masks from two million masks in February to 27 million now.
The minister, who updated journalists on #COVIDー19 pandemic and its implications for the manufacturing sector in Abuja, said, “We are also engaging our indigenous car manufacturers at this time to prepare them to tweak their operations to begin the manufacture of ‘Made in Nigeria’ ventilators – critical medical equipment in the fight against the virus.”
The ministry had last month set up a committee on “the sustainable production and delivery of essential commodities” during the #COVIDー19 pandemic, amongst others.
Adebayo said the ministry had been collaborating with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN); the Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA); Nigerian Traders Association (NANTS);and other relevant stakeholders to guarantee unhindered production of essential items like food, medical and pharmaceutical products.
Ahmed, stated that manufacturers had braced the lockdown to ensure uninterrupted production of essential goods, including supply of raw materials, as import of essential goods dropped, local manufacturers were trying to bridge the gap by ramping up domestic production.
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