As ARMS 2026 Winds Down, RMRDC Showcases Local Manufacturing as Solution to Youth Unemployment
As the Second African Raw Materials Summit (ARMS 2026) winds down in Abuja, the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) has showcased how local manufacturing can provide a sustainable solution to Nigeria’s youth unemployment challenge.
The Council opened its pilot plant in Abuja to delegates and journalists attending the summit, displaying a range of products formulated and produced from locally available raw materials.
Among the products on display were soap, paint, antimalarial formulations and other household as well as industrial items developed through the Council’s pilot-scale research initiatives, demonstrating the commercial viability of converting raw materials into finished goods.
The Director-General of the Council, Professor Martins Nnanyelugo, who led the inspection tour, said the facility was more than an exhibition centre, but a practical training ground for entrepreneurship.
Prof. Nnanyelugo highlighted that the initiative proves that Nigeria has no reason to be poor, given its vast raw materials base and research capacity.
He appealed to state governors, local government chairmen, and other well-meaning Nigerians to sponsor unemployed youths in their states and communities to the centre for hands-on training in manufacturing and production.
According to him, equipping young people with practical manufacturing skills would enable them to establish small-scale enterprises, become self-reliant and contribute to national economic growth.
He stressed that tackling unemployment goes beyond creating jobs, and requires giving young Nigerians the technical knowledge to create jobs for themselves and others.
The DG noted that the showcase aligns with the Council’s mandate of promoting research, developing local raw materials and encouraging value addition, as well as with the core message of ARMS 2026, which calls on African countries to move beyond exporting raw materials to producing finished and semi-finished products.
Prof. Nnanyelugo added that by linking research to practical skills acquisition, the Council hopes to drive entrepreneurship, promote local production and turn the unemployment challenge into an opportunity for industrial development.
