The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, have launched a four year Programme for Country Partnership (PCP) Flagship Strategy. The programme was signed by UNIDO Director General Gerd Müller alongside the Nigerian Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, during a ceremony in Abuja with representatives from both UNIDO and the Nigerian Government, including the Minister of Industry, John Owan Enoh present, as well as the Organized Private Sector (OPS) and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN).

The PCP aims to support the needs of the Government of Nigeria for inclusive and sustainable industrial development in Nigeria. It is the first of its kind in Nigeria and has been developed upon the request of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with UNIDO in order to fast-track industrial growth and economic diversification in the country. 

The signing of the Programme for Country Partnership is a landmark in UNIDO’s 40 year cooperation with Nigeria, and it will accelerate the country’s development journey towards becoming an industrial and economic hub in West Africa. Under the leadership of the Government of Nigeria, the PCP will strengthen existing- and forge new partnerships for the inclusive and sustainable industrial development of Nigeria, with the main objective of contributing to a diversified, competitive, inclusive and sustainable industrial economy. 

Speaking on the historic partnership, UNIDO Director General Gerd Müller said: “UNIDO’s long-standing cooperation with Nigeria has been ongoing for 40 years now. Our new Programme for Country Partnership with Nigeria represents a new quality of cooperation to enhance the country’s sustainable economic and industrial development. Today we are marking a milestone on the way to unlocking Nigeria’s huge potential to become an economic and industrial powerhouse. Broad-based partnership is the key. Our work together will focus on job creation, enhancing local value addition, special economic zones, industrial policy, building trade capacity and sustainable energy development.”

The PCP is fully aligned to ongoing national, regional and global strategies including the Nigeria Medium Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) 2021-2025, the Renewed Hope Agenda, Agenda 2063 of the African Union, and the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations and its associated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is also aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023-2027. 

The PCP will also support the development of agro-value chains, including those linked to the tourism sector, and foster industrial diversification and innovation, including through special economic zone development. Cross-cutting components in the area of industrial policy and statistics, quality infrastructure, sustainable energy, and the circular economy, as well as women’s empowerment and youth employment, will ensure a comprehensive approach which addresses the needs of key stakeholders and vulnerable groups.

In order to guide the implementation of the PCP, the Federal Government of Nigeria is providing strategic guidance during the four year implementation of this historic partnership flagship. 

UNIDO will be leading the process of mobilizing funds from donors and partners, as well as providing technical support with the coordination of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

During his visit in Nigeria, Director General Müller also met with the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray. Talks centered about further strengthening ongoing cooperation, in particular through the African Trade Competitiveness and Market Access Programme to remove market access barriers for local businesses and boost EU-Africa trade and intra-African trade in support of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

The visit of the UNIDO Director General also included a tour of processing and packaging facilities of a Nigerian food producer on the outskirts of Abuja. The company showed how local value addition in agri-business can benefit rural development by improving food security, creating jobs, providing access to electricity, and offering skills training, and how market expansion from the domestic to the international can be achieved.