At the Computer village in Lagos a technician opens a brand new smartphone box. ‘Made in Vietnam’,the label reads.
Across town, a car dealer parks a ”brand new SUV. ”Assembled in Nigeria, ”the sticker says,-but the engine ,gear box and computer chips all came from China.
Nigeria has over 200 million consumers, a booming tech scene , and engineers graduating every year. Yet, when it comes to building the thing we use daily-cars from scratch, phones, robots, industrial machines-we still import the finished products. The question isn’t if we have talent . The question is ”Why can’t we manufacture?
This takes us to the issue or the historical dependence on foreign products or foreign countries before we take any leap.
Nigeria’s import bills tells the story. According to NBC data, the country spent over $40 billion dollars in the last 5 years importing machinery , vehicles, and electronics. Phones, laptops, medical equipment , and even agricultural robots all arrive in containers and get sold as ”finished”.
We have software startups raising millions. We have fintech serving 40 million users. But in hardware, we’re still at the starting line.
Innoson can build vehicle bodies in Nnewi, Nord assembles SUVs in Lagos. Yet no Nigerian car runs on an engine , transmission , and chip all made here. No Nigerian phone brand owns its own chip fab or screen factory.
Compare that to Morocco, which now exports cars to Europe. Or Rwanda ,which assembles smartphones locally . Or Vietnam, which went from rice farms to Samsung factories in 20 years. What are they doing that we are not doing?
At this juncture, let us pause , to locate Nigeria and Nigerians challenges- The first on the list is Infrastructure. The silent Tax Talk to any manufacturer and you will hear a response, the same word.-POWER. To run a factory that makes engines or circuit boards , you need 24/7 electricity, clean water, and predictable logistics.
In Nigeria, that means generators. A mid-sized electronic plant in Ogun State spends an estimated 34-40 % of operating costs on diesel . That money should go to Research and Development(R&D). Instead, it buys fuel.
Internet and Port Delays add another cost. A container can sit at Apapa for weeks . By the time parts arrive, the cost has doubled . So , companies choose the easier path-Import the finished phone instead of 200 components.
You can’t build a Car with just one factory. You need about 300 suppliers. Steel, plastics, glass, wiring, chips. That’s what economists call an ”Ecosystem”.
Countries like China and India built this over decades. Nigeria skipped that step . We went straight to importing. So ,even when a company wants to ”manufacture” here,80-90% of the value is still imported. That’s assembly, not manufacturing.
Our Universities produce great computer scientists, but we have very few tools-and die makers, precision welders, and robotics technicians. The curriculum is theory -heavy . The workshops are empty.
There is also a market problem. Many Nigerians assume ”Made in Nigeria”, means ”inferior”. So even, a locally built phone or car has to fight perception , while an imported used product is seen as premium. Research and panoramic exercise by ”The Innterviews Nigeria” indicate that INNOSON Vehicle Manufacturing Company at Nnewi proudly builds buses and SUVs. But interview Engineers and they ‘ll tell you the engines , gear boxes, and ECUs are imported. It’s Completely Knocked Down(CKD) assembly. Still important , but not full manufacturing.
Phone Assembly in Lagos – A few companies now assemble phones and laptops locally to get government contracts. But screens, chips, and batteries all come from Asia. The value added in Nigeria is less than 100%.
NASENI has shown working prototype of ROBOTS and farm equipment. The challenge has been moving from prototype to 10,000 units at a price people can afford.
With this, who benefits From Status Quo? This is where investigative reporting gets uncomfortable. Importers, Clearing Agents , and dealers make money on every container. A manufacturing base would disrupt that. Multiple taxation, by States and agencies also make local production expensive. So, the system , intentionally, or not favours importation.
What can be done to ameliorate this ugly and slavish trend?
Nigeria should fix the basics first. There should be 24/7 power clusters and industrial parks. Morocco did this with Tanger Med.
The government should protect and nurture the sector Temporary Tariffs and guaranteed government purchase to help the local factories reach scale.
And finally, Nigeria should build the ECOSYSTEM, adequate funding of Technical Colleges and suppliers Parks; it is not just one big factory .
All these are spelled out in Nigeria’s National Development Plan(2021-2025).
In a nutshell, a nation that cannot build what it uses will always be price-takers. Every depreciation of the Naira makes our phones and cars more expensive. Every global supply chain shock leaves us exposed.
We don’t lack brains. We lack factories, power and policy consistency. Until we treat manufacturing as national security, not just business, the boxes at the Computer Village will keep reading ”Made Abroad”.
Tunde Idowu is a Dev. Communicator and the Editor-In-Chief,
The Interviews Nigeria