Senate Wants 30% Local Input Added to Raw Materials Before Export — Akpabio
The Senate President Godswill Akpabio has announced that the National Assembly is set to enforce a law requiring at least 30% local value addition before any raw material can be exported from Nigeria.
Akpabio made this statement on Wednesday while receiving a delegation from the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), led by Director-General Nnanyelugo Martin Ike-Muonso, at his office in Abuja.
Describing the planned amendment to the RMRDC Act as a potential “moral compass” for other African nations, Akpabio emphasized the importance of transforming Nigeria’s raw materials into finished or semi-finished goods before exporting them.
“If we had added even a portion of the value locally, we would already have factories along those value chains—creating jobs and stimulating innovation,” he said.
The Senate President decried the irony of Nigeria exporting raw materials only to import the processed versions at higher prices. Citing cocoa as an example, he noted that despite being one of the world’s top producers, Nigeria still imports chocolate and other cocoa-based products.
“It is quite unfortunate,” he said. “We produce cocoa but still import cocoa products at a premium—without any local input.”
Akpabio expressed particular concern over the neglect of value addition in the solid minerals sector, describing it as the “most pathetic” case.
“We sell raw minerals at rock-bottom prices. When you sum it up, it becomes clear that Africa is still in a primitive state when it comes to recognising and utilizing its own potential,” he said. “Poverty is deepening, and ignorance is at the heart of it.”
He called for nationwide sensitisation campaigns, particularly in secondary schools, to educate Nigerians on the importance of raw materials and solid minerals in economic development.
“If we support you by passing this bill and the president signs it into law, Nigeria will have taken a bold step toward industrial sovereignty,” Akpabio told the RMRDC team. “No raw material should leave this country without at least 30% value added.”
Akpabio commended Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, for sponsoring the amendment bill. The law, he said, is crucial to aligning legislative efforts with the federal government’s renewed focus on research, innovation, and sustainable value chains.
Responding to the Senate President’s remarks, RMRDC Director-General Ike-Muonso expressed confidence in the legislature’s support for the bill.
“This bill will change the fortune of our country. It’s a landmark policy that places Nigeria—and Africa—on a new industrial trajectory,” Ike-Muonso said.
He also invited Akpabio to the upcoming Africa Raw Materials Summit scheduled for later this month.
The legislative push comes as the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) reports a surge in non-oil exports. In the first quarter of 2025, Nigeria generated $1.79 billion in non-oil export revenue. The NEPC noted a historic high, with total exports jumping from $4.517 billion in 2023 to $5.456 billion in 2024—a 20.77% year-on-year increase.
