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ActionAid calls for extension of school feeding programmes to all primary school pupils

Published

8 years ago

April 24, 2019

ActionAid Nigeria (AAN), a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) has called on the Federal Government to extend the Home Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP) to all pupils of primary schools across the country.

Mrs Ene Obi, Country Director of the organisation said this at the Launch and Dissemination of the Third Party Monitoring Report of the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP).

AAN in partnership with the National Social Investment Office (NSIO) with support from DFID- Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn(PERL) and the Ford Foundation worked on the Third-party Monitoring on the implementation of the NSIP.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NSIP of the Federal Government falls within three groups: Home Grown School Feeding Programme, Government Economic Enterprise Programme and N-Power.

Obi said the extension should include pre-primary classes and classes 4 to 6.

She added that the Federal Government should also introduce additional incentives into the programme such as notebooks, school bags and stationery in addition to providing meals for school children.

According to the country director, the National Social Investment Office (NSIO) of the government should liaise with relevant ministries for the construction of additional classrooms.

She said since the home grown school feeding programmes had increased enrolment, there was need to provide more infrastructural development that comes with the constraints of the enrolment.

” The social investment Programme of the government has so far created a ripple effect towards the educational, agricultural and the health sectors of Nigeria.

“There was reported increase in the learning reception by school children as well as enrolment in schools because the home grown school feeding programme gives the students access to have one meal a day.

“Parents of these children also form part of the secondary beneficiaries under the programme as well as livelihood that has been created for cooks and food vendors.

She added that such benefits was also created for -Power Programme where unemployed Nigerians were engaged in different government institutions to receive stipends for their services.

She explained that this had further reduced the rate of unemployment within the period of N-Power implementation.
Obi also lauded the efforts of the government for the introduction and implementation of the social investment Programme in a bid to lift the vulnerable poor out of poverty the evading inequality in the society.

She said despite the positive outcomes the NSIP had provided, gaps had been identified which must be addressed urgently.

Obi noted that lack of community monitoring during implementation, grossly poor records tracking and management and lack of coordination among others were the challenges of the Programme.

She also noted that the issue of fund released was another major challenge hindering the growth of the Programme.

According to her, so far N 463 billion had been released out of the N 1.3 trillion expected to be spend for the Programme.

” In 2006, out of the N500 billion appropriated only N80 billion was released which is about 16 03 per cent. In 2017, of the N400billion appropriated, only N155 billion was released which is about 38.75 per cent.

“Also in 2018, N400 billion was appropriated for NSIP but about N228 billion was released which is 57.04 per cent.”

She, however, called on Nigerians to get involved not only as beneficiaries but also report any wrong doing against the programme for a maximum impact.

Obi, therefore, called for the institutionalisation of some of the National Investment Programmes that have been proven most impactful to ensure their continuity without being affected by change in government.

Meanwhile, Mrs Maryam Uwais, Senior Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment Programme, said the Federal Government is doing a lot of impact evaluation to know the narrative to engage the people.

Uwais said that currently, over 12 million Nigerians have benefited directly from the programmes with the empowerment of 500,000 graduates and 26, 000 indirect beneficiaries as well as a lot of households benefiting from the programme.

She said the release of the monies which is dependent on the income generated by the government on monthly basis sometimes get delayed and not sufficient for the numbers captured to benefit from the programmes.

She therefore said there was need for community engagement to make the process a wholesome empowerment project.

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Strategic Partnerships, Diaspora Investment and Improved Workforce Critical to Industrialization-DG RMRDC

Published

1 day ago

November 12, 2026

The Gleamer

By: Stella Azi and Adaora Adibe

The Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, has called for a strategic shift from the exportation of raw commodities to domestic processing, manufacturing and value addition, declaring that Nigeria possesses enormous untapped raw material resources capable of driving industrialisation, creating jobs and strengthening the country’s economic competitiveness.

Prof. Ike-Muonso made this submission in a lecture titled Unlocking Nigeria’s Raw Material Value Chain for Industrialization, Manufacturing and Competitiveness, where he presented an extensive assessment of Nigeria’s resource endowments, industrial challenges and emerging investment opportunities across agricultural commodities, solid minerals and waste-based raw materials.

The lecture highlighted a combined US$2.65 trillion global market opportunity across 30 major raw material value chains, comprising 12 agricultural value chains valued at US$932 billion, 11 mineral value chains worth US$1.352 trillion and seven circular-economy value chains estimated at US$366 billion.

According to the RMRDC Boss, Nigeria must move beyond the traditional approach of extracting and exporting raw materials to building competitive domestic industries that transform these resources into intermediate products, industrial inputs and finished goods for local consumption and international markets.

He observed that the country’s manufacturing sector has struggled to sustain its 2014 peak, with its contribution to real Gross Domestic Product declining from 9.64 per cent in 2014 to 8.05 per cent in 2025, representing a 16.5 per cent decline. He also drew attention to the increasing cost of raw material imports, which rose to US$20.5 billion in 2025, approximately six times the 2020 level.

He explained that the growing dependence on imported industrial inputs exposes Nigerian manufacturers to foreign exchange volatility, increases production costs and weakens the competitiveness of locally manufactured products.

Prof. ke-Muonso stressed that the solution lies in developing domestic raw material value chains through deliberate investment in processing facilities, research and development, technology, infrastructure and stronger linkages between producers, processors and manufacturers.

He identified agriculture, solid minerals and industrial waste as three major resource platforms for Nigeria’s industrial transformation, stating the country’s significant production capacity and the enormous opportunities available for downstream processing.

Ike-Muonso noted that Nigeria produces over 63 million metric tonnes of cassava annually, making it the world’s largest producer, while also maintaining strong positions in cocoa, cashew, sesame, palm oil and cotton. However, more than 80 per cent of agricultural output leaves farms without adequate processing, resulting in the loss of significant economic value and industrial opportunities.

In the solid minerals sector, he identified more than 44 commercially viable minerals across over 500 locations, including lithium, gold, barite, bitumen, iron ore and high-grade limestone, describing them as strategic resources capable of supporting steel production, energy storage, electrification and advanced manufacturing.

The DG further drew attention to Nigeria’s industrial and agro-waste resources, noting that the country generates over 32 million tonnes of solid waste annually. He explained that agricultural residues, cassava peels, scrap metals, plastics and electronic waste could serve as important feedstock for bio-fertilisers, industrial chemicals, recycled polymers, energy production and other manufacturing applications.

In the agricultural sector, the DG identified cassava and industrial starch, cotton and natural textiles, natural rubber and elastomers, oil palm and oleochemicals, maize derivatives and cocoa processing as priority areas requiring increased investment.

He explained that processing agricultural commodities into industrial starch, sweeteners, textiles, technical rubber, specialty fats and other intermediate products would enable Nigeria to capture more value from its agricultural resources while reducing dependence on imported industrial inputs.

For the minerals sector, he highlighted crude oil-to-olefins and petrochemicals, lithium and energy storage, iron ore and steel, rare earth elements, bauxite and aluminium, and copper and electrification as strategic investment opportunities.

He particularly emphasised the importance of moving beyond mineral extraction into beneficiation, refining, battery precursors, industrial chemicals, metal fabrication and advanced materials production.

On the circular economy, Prof. Ike-Muonso identified electronic waste recovery, scrap metal recycling, plastic waste processing, agro-waste valorisation and battery recycling as emerging industrial opportunities.

He explained that transforming waste into productive industrial feedstock would not only reduce environmental pollution but also create new manufacturing industries, generate employment and reduce the importation of valuable industrial materials.

He noted that to address the structural challenges confronting raw material-based industrialisation, the DG highlighted the strategic interventions of the RMRDC, particularly the proposed 30% Value Addition Bill and the Nigeria Integrated Information Statistical System for Raw Materials and Products (NISSRAMP).

He described the 30% Value Addition Bill as an important policy instrument designed to encourage domestic processing of raw materials before export, strengthen local manufacturing capacity and guarantee access to essential raw materials for Nigerian industries, and NISSRAMP as a critical data infrastructure that would improve access to verified information on the availability, location and quality of raw materials.

According to him, the combination of appropriate policy instruments and reliable resource data would help de-risk investments, improve transparency and strengthen confidence in Nigeria’s raw material sector.

He emphasised the importance of collaboration among government, academia and industry in developing bankable projects, sharing investment risks and accelerating the establishment of processing and manufacturing facilities.

Professor Ike-Muonso called on Nigerians in the diaspora and other local and international investors to take advantage of the opportunities available in Nigeria’s raw material sector.

He identified industrial processing parks, mineral beneficiation and refining, agro-industrial platforms, circular-material processing, industrial input manufacturing and enabling infrastructure as viable investment platforms.

He noted that diaspora investors could contribute beyond financial capital by bringing technology, international business networks, governance standards, technical expertise and access to global markets.

He maintained that Nigeria’s industrial transformation requires coordinated investment across the entire value chain, from raw material sourcing and aggregation to processing, manufacturing, certification and export development.

Professor Ike-Muonso stressed that the country’s industrial future would depend not merely on the volume of raw materials extracted but on the capacity to transform them into competitive products that meet domestic and international market requirements.

He maintained that developing local value chains would stimulate industrial growth, create employment opportunities, diversify exports, conserve foreign exchange and deepen Nigeria’s technological capabilities.

Through its strategic interventions, the RMRDC is positioning itself as a critical bridge between resource availability, investment opportunities and industrial competitiveness, with the ultimate objective of transforming Nigeria from a predominantly raw material exporting economy into a strong manufacturing and value-adding nation.

Ike-Muonso has demonstrated this since assumption of office as the Director General/ CEO RMRDC in the area of capacity building, improved working conditions, promotion of merit, and maintaining a conducive environment that rewards excellence, innovation and dedication. This is evident in his institution of RMRDC training school, reward for winners of the RMRDC innovation challenge among others.

His commitment has brought recognition both nationally and internationally: Al-Jazirah double honour awards as Public Servant /Government Agency of the year 2024-2025 and the recent election as the Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Representative on the Board of the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organisations (WAITRO) is a attestation to his commitment.

Concluding the lecture, the DG charged staff, researchers, manufacturers and investors to see themselves as nation builders in the new era of raw materials-led industrialization.

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