PAMA Pledges Continued Partnership with MAN on African Industrialisation
The Pan African Manufacturers Association (PAMA) has pledged to deepen its partnership with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) to advance industrial development, strengthen regional value chains and expand intra-African trade.
The pledge followed MAN’s successful 54th Annual General Meeting (AGM), held from 5 to 7 October 2026 at the Lagos Oriental Hotel. The event brought together manufacturers, policymakers, government representatives, development partners and other stakeholders to discuss how Nigeria can strengthen its position as an African industrial hub.
Held under the theme *“Leveraging National Industrial Policy to Position Nigeria as Africa’s Industrial Hub”*, the three-day AGM focused on implementing the Nigeria Industrial Policy 2025, improving manufacturing competitiveness, expanding access to industrial finance, reducing energy costs and increasing local value addition.
PAMA commended MAN for hosting the event and welcomed the Federal Government’s stated commitments to improving energy supply, providing affordable long-term industrial finance, strengthening local procurement, securing industrial corridors and holding quarterly engagement with manufacturers.
The association said these priorities align with its work to advance industrialisation and strengthen regional trade. Effective implementation, it added, will be important to improving the operating environment for manufacturers and reinforcing Nigeria’s industrial competitiveness.
A key feature of the AGM was the 6th Adeola Odutola Lecture, delivered by Dr Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, former Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. Discussions emphasised the need to translate industrial policy commitments into measurable outcomes through effective implementation, institutional accountability and sustained public-private collaboration.
The AGM also marked a change in MAN’s leadership, with Dr Ifeanyi Okoye, OFR, mni, elected as the association’s 12th President. He succeeds Otunba Francis Meshioye, OFR. PAMA congratulated Dr Okoye on his election and said it looked forward to working with him and MAN’s leadership. It also recognised Otunba Meshioye’s contributions to Nigeria’s manufacturing sector and Africa’s industrial development.
PAMA said its continued collaboration with MAN would support closer cooperation among manufacturers across the continent and help unlock opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The association congratulated MAN on the successful AGM, reaffirming its commitment to a competitive, integrated and prosperous African manufacturing sector.
