Cement is leading the chase in Nigeria’s non-metallic products sector, which also includes ceramics, chalk and glass.
Total output in the non-metallic products sector rose from N143.86 billion in the first half of 2013 (H1 2013) to N215.79 billion by the second half of the same year (H2 2013). Similarly, capacity utilisation in the sector rose 16 percent to 69.9 percent in H2 2013, from 53.8 percent in H1 2013, according to data from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN).
The sector also recorded a robust performance in terms of raw materials sourcing, as local input content rose from 79.55 percent in H1 2013 to 91.48 percent in H2 2013.
Investments in H1 2013 within the sector broadly totalled were N323.76 billion in H1 2013, while N4.93 billion worth of investments were added in H2 2013.
“The cement group, which has been leading the manufacturing sector, has contributed largely to the increases,” says MAN.
“The backward integration policy of the government along with the strong support of Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment has been a catalyst for the growth of the cement sector. It should be emulated in other manufacturing sub-sectors as a role model,’’ said Olivier Lenoir, managing director, UNICEM.
By Odinaka Anudu
http://businessdayonline.com/2014/10/cement-dwarfs-peers-in-non-metallic-products-sector/#.VEUYIjMcRes
