PRESS STATEMENT
The Forum of South-East Academic Doctors (FOSAD) has called on Igbo business leaders, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, investors and professional associations to view the recent face-off involving some Igbo traders and Chinese importers in Lagos as an opportunity to accelerate industrialization, manufacturing and technological development in the South-East.
FOSAD believes that the current tensions surrounding competition between local traders and foreign importers should not be allowed to degenerate into confrontation or hostility. Rather, the development should stimulate a broader conversation about how the South-East can strengthen its productive capacity and reduce dependence on imported goods.
The Forum therefore urges Igbo entrepreneurs to consider investing more aggressively in factories, manufacturing plants, technology hubs, industrial parks, logistics facilities and other productive ventures across the five South-East states.
FOSAD also calls for renewed efforts by governments, traditional institutions, business organizations and development agencies in the region to create an environment capable of attracting and retaining major investments.
The Forum stresses that sustainable economic development cannot be built predominantly on the importation and distribution of finished products. A productive economy must increasingly manufacture what it consumes, develop local supply chains, create employment and build the technological capacity required to compete in regional and global markets.
For decades, Igbo entrepreneurs have demonstrated remarkable capacity for commerce, trading, manufacturing and enterprise development. FOSAD believes that this entrepreneurial strength can be transformed into a more structured industrial ecosystem in the South-East if greater attention is given to production rather than the importation and distribution of finished goods.
The current situation in Lagos should therefore serve as a wake-up call for business leaders in the region.
Rather than viewing the presence and activities of foreign importers only through the lens of competition, FOSAD encourages South-East entrepreneurs to ask a more fundamental question: Why should products consumed by Nigerians continue to be manufactured elsewhere when the region possesses the human capital, entrepreneurial culture and market opportunities to produce many of them locally?
FOSAD further advocates the development of modern industrial clusters linked to the region’s major commercial centres. Such clusters should support manufacturing, agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, automobile and spare-parts production, electronics, textiles, building materials and other sectors with strong domestic and export potential.
The Forum also reiterates the strategic importance of developing seaport infrastructure in the South-East. Efficient seaports, supported by modern road and rail networks, would strengthen the region’s connection to international markets, reduce logistics constraints and provide manufacturers and exporters with more efficient access to global supply chains.
The Forum believes that industrialization must be accompanied by investments in electricity, transport infrastructure, education, research and development, access to finance and an effective regulatory environment.
FOSAD believes that the entrepreneurial spirit of the Igbo people, combined with strategic public investment and supportive government policies, can help transform the South-East into a major industrial and technological hub in Nigeria.
Signed:
Dr. Stephen Nwala
President
Forum of South-East Academic Doctors (FOSAD)
Dr. Uzor Ngoladi
Secretary-General
Forum of South-East Academic Doctors (FOSAD)
www.fosads.org
