RMRDC PROJECTS IN NORTH- WEST GET BOARD’S ATTENTION
                                                                                                                                                                     The chairperson of the Governing board of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Chief (Mrs.) Pauline Tallen, has re- re- affirmed the council’s commitment to re- view and re- focus it’s projects nation- wide in order to positively impact on the overall economic development of Nigeria. The RMRDC Chairman stated this while leading a delegation of Council board members on a facility tour of council projects in the North- West geopolitical zone of the country.

Mrs. Tallen said it had become imperative to review the existing framework for implementation of council’s projects based on the need to establish their relevance to the Council’s mandate, and the national economic agenda, while also meeting the challenges of the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) which ascribes significant roles for the council towards industrial development of the nation.

She said the council was refocusing to identify the short- comings militating against the timely completion of some of its projects with a view to address them over the medium and long- term periods so that the goals of the projects could be achieved in the short term.

Briefing the Executive Governor of Kebbi state, Dr. Adamu Mohammed Aliero, at the Kebbi Government House, during the tour, Mrs. Tallen admitted that the visitation to projects by the Board, was therefore to afford RMRDC Governing Council the opportunity of seeing for themselves the status of council’s projects and exploring ways of investing in the development of abundant raw materials available in the different states covered by the council through joint- venture collaboration with state governments.

She further explained that the inauguration of the Board after 16 years, was to encourage the realization of Mr. President’s efforts at harnessing the nations abundant raw materials for local industries in Nigeria, even as she stated that she was working with the council to inform and sensitize the public through various instruments on RMRDC’s activities and programs aimed at encouraging investments in the use of available raw materials in different parts of the country.

The Director- General, Eng. (Prof.) Peter Azikiwe Onwualu, was on hand to buttress the commitment of the Council towards the establishment of micro and small level cottage industries, nation- wide as a way of encouraging economic sustainability and self- sufficiency through the local sourcing and investment in the nations abundant raw materials.

He therefore encouraged staff of the zonal and liaison office members of the council to articulate and submit viable proposals in this regard to the council for execution and funding.

Other issues which cropped up during the visit were the review of the joint- venture partnership of some Joint- Venture pilot plant projects between the council and its host state governments, in which it was decided that the later needed to show more commitment in order to facilitate the quick completion and commissioning of some stalled projects, such as the Sokoto Super phosphate plant, in Sokoto, the Fruit Juice Processing plant (a joint- venture with the Kaduna state government), and the Castor Oil Processing plant (also a joint- venture project with the Kaduna state government.) A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was also signed with Kebbi state for the following proposed JV projects:

-                     Cassava chipping and milling machines

-                     Salt processing

-                     Rice processing, and

-                     Fish smoking plant

                                                                                                                                      Chucks Ngaha