To continue advancing our mission of commercialization, the Director General/CEO of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Professor Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, unveiled the RMRDC’s comprehensive 10-year roadmap.
During the Program Presentation and Dialogue Session held yesterday—a critical step in ensuring that Nigeria develops the technical, financial, and policy capacity needed to advance the raw materials sector—the roadmap was introduced to significantly boost Nigeria’s raw material value addition from 25% to at least 60%. We no longer want our raw materials exported in their crude form without value added.

As such, this forum provided an essential platform to interact with development partners, the diplomatic community, business councils, and other stakeholders. However, achieving this requires collective wisdom, resources, and expertise.
We recognise that investors need access to key indices and real-time data to make informed decisions about investing in Nigeria. Therefore, our 10-year roadmap outlines several key areas for collaboration, including:
Developing robust databases and management information systems, such as a Raw Materials Portal showcasing material availability across the country, with differentiators like geography, security, and social factors.
Providing prototype testing and investment management to increase collaboration between manufacturers and researchers.
Establishing and upgrading laboratories where raw materials can be tested, refined, and transformed into higher-value products.
Setting up the RMRDC Training School and collaborating with institutions like the African University of Science and Technology to offer conversion programmes in physical and natural sciences, a collaboration already in progress.
Our discussions at the UN General Assembly with companies like Google have also opened opportunities to use AI for driving growth, optimising resources, and advancing industrial expansion.
To explore innovative pathways and sustainable strategies for unlocking the immense potential of Nigeria’s raw materials sector, I urge our valued development partners, diplomats, business councils, and financial leaders to collaborate with us in this transformative effort.
The 10-year roadmap signifies a push to process and enrich Nigeria’s raw materials, maximising their value before they leave our shores. This effort has been made possible with the support of the African Development Bank (AfDB).
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