In a move to galvanise support and foster collaboration ahead of the much-anticipated African Raw Materials Summit, the Director General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Nnanyelugo Martins Ike-Muonso has embarked on a high-level stakeholder engagement and sensitisation tour across Lagos State.
The summit, scheduled for May 20th to 22nd, 2025, in Abuja, is set to bring together key players across the raw materials value chain in Africa.
In a statement made available to journalists by Assistant Director, Directorate of Corporate Affairs of RMRDC, Mrs. Stella Azi, the stakeholders’ engagement exercise, among several other initiatives of the DG, marks a milestone towards convening Africa for a first-of-its-kind interactive session on charting a new course for the continent’s economic development.
As part of preparations for the landmark event, the DG, RMRDC, Prof. Nnanyelugo, who led the team from RMRDC, started the visit to major industry players, including Flour Mills Nigeria, BUA Group, OLAM Agri, Honeywell Flour Mills, amongst others who are critical stakeholders in Nigeria’s agro-industrial sector.
The purpose of the tour was to sensitize these organizations to the upcoming summit, explore collaborative opportunities, and secure their participation as partners in driving sustainable industrial development through the optimization of local raw materials.
At Flour Mills Nigeria (FMN), the DG and his team were warmly received by the company’s top management team, Mr. Chidinma Osuoha.
The DG commended the company’s long-standing commitment to backward integration and raw materials sourcing from local farmers.
He stressed that the summit would offer a unique opportunity for Flour Mill and similar players to showcase their achievements, network with continental partners, and shape the future of Africa’s industrial growth.
“To ensure that producers like yourself have access to information rather than going outside to import raw materials that already exist in Nigeria. You know where they exist, you know the characteristics, you know all investment opportunities information relevant for you to take a decision whether you want to explore the opportunities locally or you still want to go import,” the DG stated.
Responding, the group head of procurement, Mr. Chidinma Osuagwu, commended the initiative of RMRDC, stating that the biggest raw material used by FMN is wheat, which is predominantly imported, pointing out that the country consumes about 600 tonnes of wheat annually but can produce only about 60,000 tonnes annually.
He mentioned that Flour Mills has a local inclusion scheme, through which it procures and processes grains such as sorghum and millet from Northern Nigeria.
“FMN has helped farmers with seedlings so we can grow the volumns of wheat that can be produced in Nigeria so that we can reduce importation which the exchange rate is not favourable. This summit is quite timely and will get FMN to partner in it,” Mr. Osuagwu stated.
At Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, a subsidiary of Flour Mills of Nigeria, the RMRDC team was received by the Head of Site Operations, Mr. Isunoya Bonniface.
The consultant and chairman of the Local Organizing Committee of the summit, Prof. Bernard Odoh, stated the purpose of the visit and emphasized that a partnership between Honeywell Flour Mills in the summit would yield mutual benefits.
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Also, throwing light on the summit, the Director-General, RMRDC, Prof. Ike-Muonso, mentioned that the Council conducts varietal studies and noted that the issue of wheat variety development could be discussed more broadly at the summit.
He said that the summit would avail participants of the opportunity for valuable inputs from key stakeholders across the value chain, contributing to the development of locally adaptable wheat varieties for industrial use.
In response, Mr. Bonniface acknowledged the critical role of raw materials in manufacturing, stating that they account for approximately 80% of business costs.
He observed the importance of the summit to HoneyWells Limited as a subsidiary and the Flour Mill Nigeria in general.
At BUA Group, the DG was received by the company’s management staff, headed by the Regional Manager, Health, Safety and Environment, Engr. Dr. Samuel Shokunbi and the Refinery Manager, Engr. Daniel Balogun.
Engr. Shokumbi said the company would be eager to partner with the Council on the Summit but will communicate the importance and benefits of the summit.
While at OLAM Agri Apapa Lagos, the team was received by the Procurement Manager (Imports), Mr. Olumide Fadeyi.
The Director-General, Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, further expounded on the need for high-premium industries such as Olam to be part of the summit, emphasizing its continental significance, with over 72 countries already confirmed to participate.
He highlighted the importance of raw materials processing and value addition as a key focus of the event, stressing that Olam, as a major industry player, should actively partner with RMRDC.
The consultant of the summit, Prof. Bernard Odoh, highlighted that a partnership between Olam and RMRDC would be mutually beneficial to both organizations.
The collaboration, he noted, would create opportunities for both parties to drive sustainable raw material sourcing and industrial growth.
He explained that the legislative bill on 30% value-addition, currently being pushed by RMRDC, aims to strengthen the local supply chain and reduce dependence on imports.
To formalize the engagement, Prof. Odoh presented the event brochure to Mr. Fadeyi, who graciously received it and thanked the RMRDC team and acknowledged the efforts of RMRDC in promoting local raw materials development in Nigeria.
The DG was accompanied by the consultant in charge of the African Raw Material Summit and chairman local organizing committee, Prof. Bernad Odoh, the Director Planning and Statistics Mrs. Rachael Kotso, the Coordinator of Lagos State Office Mr. John Morinho,; Assistant Director, Directorate of Corporate Affairs, Mrs. Stella Azi, Chief Information officer, Mrs. Adaora Adibe and other staff of the Council.
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