The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST), Dr. Auwal...
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST), Dr. Auwal Mustapha Imam, delivered the keynote address on Wednesday at the opening of the Special Industrial Cluster Investment Programme (SICIP) in Abuja.
This was contained in a statement by Nuhu Basheer Masa, Personal Assistant on Media and Communication to the DG NILEST, who said the event was organised by Roseate Forte Ltd. in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology; the Bank of Industry (BOI); and NILEST. The programme, held at the Chelsea Hotel, was attended by representatives of domestic and foreign partner organisations.
SICIP 2.0 aligns with the Federal Government’s Local Content Development Beyond Oil (LCDBO) policy, which targets the mobilisation of $100 billion investment into Nigeria’s non-oil sectors by 2030. The initiative aims to strengthen industrial clusters, promote value addition, and accelerate the country’s diversification agenda.
In his keynote address, Dr. Imam noted that the global leather industry is valued at over $400 billion, yet Africa contributes less than five percent despite its vast livestock resources. He said Nigeria, one of the continent’s major producers of hides and skins, earns only a small share of the global value due to limited processing capacity, fragmented value chains, outdated technology, and persistent export of raw materials instead of finished products.
He reiterated that NILEST’s mandate is to spearhead research, innovation, skills development and industrial transformation within the leather and leather-products sector. According to him, the industry remains one of Nigeria’s strongest levers for job creation, export growth, rural development and sustainable economic diversification.
Dr. Imam also highlighted several key NILEST-led projects that align with SICIP goals and the LCDBO framework, affirming the institute’s readiness to support the Federal Government’s industrialisation drive.
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