The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has called on African countries to stop exporting raw materials and instead build the capacity to process them locally, the group’s director-general said during a facility tour in Ogun State.

Segun Ajayi-Kadir made the remarks Monday while visiting the Coleman Technical Industries Limited plant in Sagamu, urging African nations to adopt backward integration strategies that maximize the value of the continent’s abundant natural resources.

Africa’s Industrial Gap Highlighted

“Africa must bridge the gap in industrial capacity,” Ajayi-Kadir said. “Countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo have abundant resources but lack the capacity to maximize their value.”

He described Coleman as a model aligned with the broader goal of building stronger African industrial value chains, and named Ogun State as one of the continent’s increasingly competitive manufacturing hubs.

Coleman’s Role in Nigeria’s Connectivity Growth

Ajayi-Kadir credited Coleman’s strategic investments in wire and cable production with helping drive the expansion of telecommunications and power infrastructure across Nigeria.

He said the company’s planned expansion into other West African markets supports regional integration objectives.

MAN expressed readiness to partner with Coleman to advance industrial development and reiterated its advocacy for policies that prioritize local manufacturing and the patronage of made-in-Nigeria goods.

Coleman Chairman Welcomes the Visit

Solomon Onafowokan, chairman of Coleman Technical Industries, welcomed the MAN delegation and said the visit gave association leaders direct insight into the scale of the company’s Sagamu operations and its contributions to Nigeria’s industrial growth.