Federal government has attracted over N3.7tn through the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), from its 51 projects through Public-Private Partnerships.

Speaking at the Commerce and Industry Correspondents Association of Nigeria (CICAN) public lecture in Lagos, on Friday, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, said that government leveraged on comparative advantage and factor endowments in the commitment to making Nigeria competitive for local production and thereby increasing the contribution of manufacturing to GDP.

The minister said: “ We have stepped up and are aggressively implementing the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) by  the establishment of the Nigeria Industrial Policy & Competitiveness Advisory Council (Industrial Council) – comprised of the Government and Private Sector representatives at the highest level. Implementing sectoral policies for areas in which we have comparative advantage – primarily in Agriculture and Petrochemicals. Examples include the National Sugar Master Plan; and the new Tomato Policy approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC). Initial results include increased local production of sugar, particularly in Niger and Adamawa States by Golden Sugar and Savannah Sugar.  Although some of these areas have been affected by flood, Government is working hard to bring relief to the people and communities.

“We have commenced the establishment and upgrading of some existing industrial parks to world-class parks; and we are working towards the establishment of special economic zones (SEZs) across the geo-political zones in the country.