The Chairman of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) for Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi states, Lady Ada Chukwudozie, has warned that many companies in Nigeria’s South-East are shutting down.
Chukwudozie gave the warning during the MAN South-East Stakeholders’ Industry Conversation held in Awka, Anambra State, a forum convened to address electricity regulation, billing transparency and declining industrial productivity across the region.
She said surviving factories are operating at less than 30 per cent capacity due to soaring electricity and energy costs, as well as limited access to finance.
She said the worsening operating environment for manufacturers informed the decision to convene the roundtable, stressing that the manufacturing sector remains central to economic growth, industrial development and job creation.
According to her, reforms in the power sector must be anchored on transparency, accountability and clear benchmarks for electricity supply, including agreed hours of service, actual delivery and remedies where supply consistently falls below required standards.
“The manufacturing sector cannot thrive in an environment of uncertainty,” she said, while calling for stronger regulatory oversight and improved electricity supply to industrial clusters across the region.
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The forum brought together manufacturers, regulators and other stakeholders to explore practical measures to revive industrial output and address persistent power challenges affecting businesses in the South-East.
Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Chiamaka Nnake, said the state government remained committed to creating an enabling environment for investors and supporting efforts to improve electricity supply.
He said that the administration was open to partnerships aimed at delivering quick solutions to the state’s power challenges and strengthening the electricity market for industrial growth.
In a keynote address, the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr Sam Amadi, urged South-East governments to adopt deliberate policies that prioritise electricity supply to industrial clusters.
Amadi also called for pricing frameworks that would encourage manufacturers to expand production and invest in growth, alongside sustainable subsidy mechanisms for industries supported by effective monitoring and regulation.
Stakeholders at the forum warned that without urgent reforms in the power sector and improved access to affordable energy, manufacturing activity in the South-East could continue to decline, with significant implications for jobs and regional economic stability.
Under Lady Ada Chukwudozie’s leadership, MAN in the South-East has strengthened engagement with regulators and government institutions, expanded structured dialogue with the electricity sector, and repositioned the association as a more proactive platform for addressing industrial competitiveness and energy-related constraints affecting manufacturers in the region.
 for Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi states, Lady Ada Chukwudozie, has warned that many companies in Nigeria’s South-East are shutting down.){kind=link}