President Bola Tinubu has launched Nigeria’s Industrial Policy 2025, describing it as a decisive framework to revitalise the country’s manufacturing base and reposition the economy for sustainable growth.
The President, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the unveiling ceremony held at the Bola Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja, directed all relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to prioritise effective and timely execution of the policy.
He acknowledged longstanding structural weaknesses in the nation’s industrial landscape, noting that Nigeria has struggled “with fragmented value chains, high production costs, infrastructure gaps, policy inconsistency, and insufficient coordination between government and industry.”
Declaring a shift in approach, he stated that “this stops now,” emphasising that the new policy confronts these deficiencies head-on.
According to him, industrialisation must be driven by deliberate and coordinated action. “We have realised that industrialisation is not a wish you think about; it is an action you perform. More than that, we must remind ourselves that this task demands coherence across energy, trade, infrastructure, finance, skills, and innovation. It requires partnership between government and the private sector,” he said.
President Tinubu stressed that the success of the policy would be measured not by documentation but by tangible outcomes. “The defining strength of this policy is its insistence on implementation. This administration will not measure success by the number of documents we produce.
“We will measure success by the number of factories that open their gates at dawn, by the jobs created for our young men and women, by the exports that leave our ports bearing the mark of Nigerian excellence, and by the value retained within our own economy,” he added.
The policy places emphasis on sectors where Nigeria holds both comparative and competitive advantages, with the aim of strengthening domestic production and expanding value addition.
“It advances value chain development so that Nigeria moves steadily from exporting raw materials to producing finished goods. It integrates our micro, small, and medium enterprises into the heart of industrial growth, because prosperity must not be exclusive,” the President explained.
He further highlighted the alignment of infrastructure and energy development with industrial expansion, noting, “It aligns infrastructure and energy with industrial ambition, for factories cannot run on policy alone. It strengthens skills, technology, and innovation to prepare our people for the industries of today and tomorrow.”
Calling on private investors to play an active role, President Tinubu urged them “to invest with confidence and responsibility, to deepen local value chains, to create jobs and transfer skills, and to partner with government in building a productive economy.”
He commended the Minister of State for Industry, John Enoh, for what he described as focused and disciplined leadership, stating that the Minister “has demonstrated that policy leadership is not about noise, but about substance, coordination, and follow-through.”
The President also praised the ministry’s technical teams and industry stakeholders for shaping the “policy into a document grounded in reality and informed by experience.”
Earlier, Minister of State for Industry, Chief John Enoh, described the initiative as a transformative step towards building an industrialised Nigeria capable of competing globally.
Business leader Alhaji Aliko Dangote welcomed the policy, describing it as progressive and encouraging for manufacturers. He observed that Nigeria remains unique in Africa for the scale of its private sector relative to government.
Expressing optimism about economic stability, Dangote said domestic manufacturers are satisfied with the direction of reforms and predicted that “the naira, this year, will be at ₦1,000 to $100.”
He added that while investor confidence is improving due to foreign exchange stability and policy reforms, protecting local industries remains essential. “If there is no protection, there is no way any industry will thrive here,” he cautioned.
The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr Mohamed Malick Fall, described the policy launch as a forward-looking step that converts ambition into measurable action, paving the way for inclusive economic expansion.
He noted that the initiative stems from sustained collaboration between Nigeria and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), aimed at integrating the country more effectively into regional and global value chains.
Similarly, President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Francis Meshioye, applauded the administration for introducing the policy and pledged the association’s full support towards ensuring its practical and effective implementation.
He reaffirmed manufacturers’ commitment to advancing indigenous entrepreneurship and strengthening Nigeria’s industrial competitiveness under the new framework.
