Tinubu Unveils Nigeria Industrial Policy 2025, Directs Speedy Implementation By MDAs

* Says policy execution will be measured by factories built, jobs created, exports from nation’s ports

* Dangote predicts appreciation of naira this year in forex market at N1,000 for $100

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has launched Nigeria Industrial Policy 2025 with a charge to relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of government to ensure speedy implementation.

According to him, the policy, which is a roadmap for re-engineering the nation’s industrial base, unlocking value across sectors, and placing production, competitiveness, and jobs at the centre of the nation’s economic strategy, has already established a clear implementation architecture, because policies rarely fail at conception but at execution.

Speaking Tuesday at the official unveiling of the Nigeria Industrial Policy 2025 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, the president who was represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, regretted that for too long, Nigeria has grappled “with fragmented value chains, high production costs, infrastructure gaps, policy inconsistency, and insufficient coordination between government and industry”.

Tinubu emphatically noted, however, that “this stops now,” as the Nigeria Industrial Policy 2025 is an acknowledgement of such deficiencies.

According to him, “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.”

The president insisted on timely implementation and execution of the policy, noting that when his administration came on board in 2023, it did so with a promise to redefine Nigeria’s industrial ambition.

He said: “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.”

Outlining key aspects of the policy, Tinubu said it prioritises strategic sector focus anchored on the  nation’s comparative and competitive advantages.

“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.

“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,” he said.

While calling for more private sector participation, the president urged support for the sector “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”.

Tinubu commended the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, “for his disciplined leadership and clarity of purpose in driving” the process, adding that the minister “has demonstrated that policy leadership is not about noise, but about substance, coordination, and follow-through”.

He also applauded the ministry’s technical teams, industry stakeholders, manufacturers, investors, and practitioners for shaping the “policy into a document grounded in reality and informed by experience” with their insights.

Earlier, the Minister of State for Industry, Chief John Enoh, said the campaign marked a turning point aimed at building an industrial Nigeria that produces, competes and prospers.

On his part, business mogul and Chairman of Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, thanked the Federal Government for introducing a progressive industrial policy, observing that Nigeria is the only country in Africa where the private sector is bigger than the government.

Dangote said domestic manufacturers are pleased with the policy the Tinubu administration has created, expressing firm belief that “the naira, this year, will be at ₦1,000 to $100”.

Announcing that many investors are willing to invest in Nigeria due to FX stability and other reforms, Dangote suggested that the only thing remaining is the protection of indigenous industries, adding that: “If there is no protection, there is no way any industry will thrive here.”

Also speaking, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. Mohamed Malick Fall, expressed confidence that with the official launch of the policy, Nigeria has taken a step into its future where hope is turned into action, resulting in inclusive economic growth.

He explained that the policy is the outcome of an ongoing partnership between the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Nigeria, aimed at transforming the country into a beacon of prosperity and a key player in regional and global value chains.

President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Otunba Francis Meshioye, also commended the president over the launch of the policy, noting that manufacturers are focused on the effective implementation of the policy.

He backed the promotion of indigenous entrepreneurship enshrined in the policy, assuring the audience that MAN will give its full support to ensure its successful implementation.