The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) has critiqued the Raw Materials Research and Development Council [RMRDC] Bill in the National Assembly, calling for its withdrawal.
The RMRDC Bill proposed by Senator Peter Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, which aims to ensure local processing of at least 30 percent of Nigeria’s raw materials before exportation, has received overwhelming support from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, and other stakeholders during the public hearing organized by the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, held on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
However, Dr Muda Yusuf, the Director/ CEO of CPPE, said: ” The RMRDC involvement in trade policy matters is an aberration. Besides, the bill has a very weak value proposition.
The CPPE advises the RMRDC to withdraw the bill.”
Dr Yusuf urged the National Assembly to encourage the RMRDC to focus on its core mandate of raw materials research to offer the most cost-effective raw materials option for manufacturers.
Dr Yusuf explained that the RMRDC Bill currently before the National Assembly has the prospect of creating significant adverse and unintended consequences for Nigerian exporters and manufacturers.
What study has been done to determine the local processing capacity for each category of primary products currently being exported?
What metrics would be used to determine raw materials that manufacturers would be allowed to import into the country?
What is the effective time frame for implementation?Is it within the mandate of the RMRDC to promote the ban on exports or imports?
The position of the CPPE is that this bill raises more questions than answers.
It is a very simplistic proposition that has not taken into account the critical challenges of manufacturing, processing,, and value addition in the Nigerian economy. “