MAN: LADOL Has Opportunities for Business Collaboration

Eromosele Abiodun

The President of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Dr. Frank Udemba Jacobs has described the Lagos Deep Offshore Logistic (LADOL) Free Zone as a haven for investment and job creation opportunities.
The MAN boss stated this during a facility tour of LADOL base.

“I wish to express my appreciation for the warm hospitality extended to my delegation and me during our visit to the LADOL Industrial Free Trade Zone. We commend you for the giant strides you have made towards the support of the industrialisation of the country,” MAN’s president said.

Jacobs added that his visit will create many opportunities for his members in terms of human capital development.
He added: “I am glad that I came to see this facility for myself, I am really inspired and delighted with what I have witnessed and I know that cooperating with LADOL will be of great benefit to our members, looking to set up manufacturing in a world class Free Zone like LADOL. I want to assure you that MAN is ready and willing to explore all areas of collaboration with your organisation so that together we would improve the industrial landscape of Nigeria.

“By receiving technical and vocational education and training in the LADOL Up-skilling Academy it is an opportunity for our members to equip their workers with the practical skills, knowledge and entrepreneurial tools that match labour market needs. I know that MAN and LADOL can work together on work integrated learning initiatives,” he said while urging LADOL to become a member of MAN.

Commenting on the key role manufacturers play in driving the local content initiative, Chairman MAN Local Content Group, Mr. Vassily Barberpoulos, said there should be more interaction and synergy between manufacturers and fabricators across Nigeria.

“There needs to be more connectivity, MAN is able to assist manufacturers because lot of our manufacturers cannot see the opportunities in local content. So, we can help them see the possibilities and mentor them, acting a guide on the path to increased local content participation in the in the oil and gas sector of our economy,” he said.

According to him, the objective of local content is to develop “our industry in Nigeria and we have more and more people manufacturing products so that there is more competition and this will positively affect exports and be a catalyst for industrialisation.”

Barberpoulos added that Nigeria has advanced in its local content initiative but seems to be only the beginning “because that synergy has not yet clicked in among manufacturers, fabricators and so on. There is still room for development.”

In his response, LADOL’s Executive Director of Business Development, Mr. Jide Jadesimi said: “LADOL is committed to infrastructure and human capital development and is ready to work with key stakeholders like to train trainers from existing vocational institutions throughout Nigeria in the LADOL up-skilling academy. LADOL encourages manufacturers in Nigeria and those looking to enter the market to set up in the LADOL Industrial Free Zone and boost the local content initiative thereby increasing exports and industrializing our economy.”