A University Don, Engr. Vincent Aizebeoje Balogun has called on the Federal Government to create a favorable environment for the green manufacturing technology sector to thrive and to develop green manufacturing technology through the use of its local content technology for the production of goods in the manufacturing sector.
Engr. Prof. Balogun, made the call while delivering his paper titled Green Manufacturing: A Novel Approach to Economic Recovery in Nigeria, at the 3rd Inaugural lecture series of the Edo State University Uzairue, Etsako West Local Government, Edo State.
The Don said Nigeria should capitalize on its population of over 200 million people in order to explore, penetrate and create a strong market for its manufacturing sector.
Balogun a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Edo State University Uzairue said the solution to economic poverty in the country is a technological revolution and self-sufficiency in the production of green consumer goods which can only be achieved through green manufacturing.
According to him, “The way forward is for Nigeria to take advantage of the green manufacturing strategy and evolve her manufacturing sector in that direction as we move towards the 4th industrial revolution.”
“The state of manufacturing machining in our nation to be specific needs to change to enhance sustainability and transformation towards green,” he added.
“We, as a nation, cannot continue to depend on imported technology and food and expect to be classified as a developed nation.
“Rather, we need to employ and develop our green manufacturing sector so that we can create more jobs and take our citizens out of the streets,” he said.
Prof. Balogun noted that the manufacturing sector provides the greatest opportunity for the transformation of the Nigerian economy, saying that it is an antidote for unemployment, a creator of wealth, and a threshold for sustainable development.
He said, “Although manufacturing in Nigeria has a few challenges; among them are inadequate and epileptic power supply, regulatory issues, multiplicities of taxes, trade facilitation issues, and infrastructural deficiencies.
“There are some areas of strengths that Nigeria could build on if she considers the new trend of green manufacturing,” he said.
He further described green manufacturing as a product through economically-sound processes that minimize negative environmental impact while conserving energy and natural resources.
“Green manufacturing is a gateway and key to a competitive economy. The competitiveness of manufacturing and support for sustainable development demands new approaches.”
“There is an urgent call at all levels of manufacturing to curtail the emission rate as proposed by United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to meet the sustainable agenda in order to help cushion the impact of electrical energy consumption on the environment during manufacturing processes,” he said.
The Don said that green manufacturing technology is increasingly becoming more attractive globally for the production of consumer products, adding that it minimizes and eliminates processing and production waste using eco-efficient practices and new environmental technology at all levels of manufacturing activities.
He said the Nigerian manufacturing sector contributes 4.19 percent to the national GDP, saying that for Nigeria to be one of the 20 biggest economies in the world, the sector must be contributing a minimum of 15 percent yearly to its GDP and grow it steadily to a minimum of 30 percent.
He urged manufacturers operating in the country to key into the green manufacturing technology for the manufacturing of their products.
“Green manufacturing is a national call to the development of environmentally friendly manufacturing factors, concepts, methods, and tools that are important in design and manufacturing of discrete products in order to minimize the life cycle cost due to environmental damage.
“For green manufacturing to thrive, there has to be an understanding and advocacy on the modus operandi towards green mechanical machining processes.
“It is therefore compelling on all manufacturers including Nigerian manufacturers to engage in discussion that boils around the reduction of CO2 levels through the minimum consumption of fossil fuels and other parameters to encourage green manufactured products,” he said.
