President Bola Tinubu is expected to sign the landmark 30% Value Addition Bill into law in November, a move designed to boost local processing of Nigeria’s raw materials before export.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, Senator Aminu Iya Abbas, confirmed this during the Second Africa Raw Materials Summit in Abuja.
He explained that the legislation, passed by the 10th Assembly, would reduce Nigeria’s reliance on exporting unprocessed commodities, while fostering domestic manufacturing and job creation.
“I am happy that the 10th Assembly passed the Raw Materials Research and Development Council Act Amendment Bill last year. Hopefully, within the next two or three weeks, it will pass, and Mr President will sign it into law. Both the executive and legislative arms are working hand-in-glove for Nigeria’s progress,” Abbas said.
Sponsored by Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, the bill mandates that at least 30% of Nigeria’s raw materials undergo local processing before export.
The policy aims to strengthen industrial capacity, retain more economic value within the country, and create employment opportunities.
Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, Director-General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, projected that the initiative could generate over 1.2 million skilled jobs within five years.
He described the legislation as “a structural revolution” that would attract foreign investment and add $1.2 billion annually to Nigeria’s non-oil earnings.
Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Owan Enoh, emphasized that Africa’s challenge lies not in raw material shortages but in limited processing capacity.
He urged stakeholders to invest in local beneficiation, citing the ministry’s cocoa value addition initiative themed “From Bean to Brown” as an example of efforts to expand domestic processing.
“This is a wake-up call to us as the raw material giant in Africa. What we need is the ability to transform those raw materials into prosperity,” Enoh said.
The Senate had approved the bill in July 2025, following a report by its Committee on Science and Technology.
Once signed, the legislation is expected to reshape Nigeria’s industrial landscape by prioritizing local value addition across minerals, agriculture, and other natural resources.
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