•The Minister of State for Industry, John Enoh

The Federal Government has committed to exploring strategies for implementing the new National Industrial Policy to scale industries and transform West Africa’s economic future, alongside manufacturing stakeholders at an upcoming summit.

The collaboration will take centre stage at the West Africa Industrialisation, Manufacturing & Trade Summit & Exhibition 2025, scheduled for October 2025, in Lagos.

The Minister of State for Industry, John Enoh, at a press conference on Wednesday in Lagos, declared that Nigeria will build its industrial policy on past executive orders targeted at promoting local content, but with a stronger push through the Nigeria First policy.

He said, “The previous administrations have tried to enable industrial growth by coming up with various executive orders.

Those include Executive Orders Three and Five, which were targeted at matters about public procurement and giving priority to Nigerian-made goods.

With the announcement of the Nigeria First policy, what becomes of it will be a function of what this administration does.”

Enoh noted that the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment would follow up on the policy with a nationwide campaign to promote patronage of Nigerian goods and services.

He explained, “The hope is that in the next few months, we’re going to start a national campaign on buying made-in-Nigeria goods and services to follow up the presidential pronouncement of the Nigeria First policy.

We found out that the country could earn about N3tn more in the short term if we can run a successful campaign that can also shift the attitudes of Nigerians.

(The Punch)

Access Holdings has confirmed the resignation of Mr. Roosevelt Ogbonna as Non-Executive Director from its Board after three and a half years of dedicated service, but remains Access Bank’s MD/CEO.

The Company Secretary, Sunday Ekwochi, said that Mr. Ogbonna will continue in his role as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Plc, the Group’s flagship banking subsidiary.

The company explained that his resignation became necessary to ensure compliance with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Corporate Governance Guidelines for Financial Holding Companies (2023), which limit the number of directors on a financial holding company’s board to nine.

The board appreciates Mr. Ogbonna for his outstanding and continued contributions to the Access Group,” the statement read.

Mr. Ogbonna was appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Plc in May 2022, after serving as Deputy Managing Director from 2017 and Executive Director from 2013.

He joined Access Bank in 2002 from Guaranty Trust Bank and has over two decades of experience in the banking sector.

A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA), an Honorary Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (HCIB), and a CFA charter holder, Mr. Ogbonna holds an MBA from IMD Business School in Switzerland, an LL.M in International Corporate & Commercial Law from King’s College London, and an Executive MBA from Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business.

He also earned a B.Sc. in Banking and Finance from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and completed the Senior Executive Fellow programme at Harvard Kennedy School of Government.In 2015, he was recognised by the Institute of International Finance as one of its Future Global Leaders.

Beyond his role as CEO, Mr. Ogbonna sits on the boards of Access Bank’s subsidiaries in the UK and South Africa and represents the bank on the boards of the Africa Finance Corporation and CSCS Plc.

As of August 2025, the Board of Access Holdings Plc is chaired by Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, with Bolaji Olaitan Agbede serving as Acting Group CEO and Lanre Bamisebi as Executive Director.

The independent non-executive directors include Abubakar Aribidesi Jimoh, Fatimah Bintah Bello-Ismail, and Ibironke Adeyemi, while other members are Ojinika Nkechinyelu Olaghere and Olusegun Babalola Ogbonne.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo- says the new Industrial Leather Hub at Matori industrial estate, will supply regional retailers and global brands and provide specialised cutting, stitching and finishing technology.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu gave the assurance when he commissioned the facility at the weekend.

“By bringing structure, modern infrastructure, and a supportive policy framework into an industry long dominated by informality, the State has created a platform that not only empowers Artisans and NIMSMEs but also positions Lagos as a continental centre of excellence for leather production,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu said the facility would generate about 10,000 direct and indirect jobs within three years, train 150,000 artisans nationwide and produce over $200 million in yearly exports when fully operational.

Over 70 per cent of the jobs, he noted, will be reserved for women and youths.

“The hides and skins that once left our shores unprocessed will be transformed here into world-class footwear, garments and accessories stamped ‘made in Lagos and made in Nigeria’ for the global market.”

The multi-billion-naira complex in Matori, Mushin, now renamed Senator Oluremi Tinubu Industrial Leather Hub, is designed to reposition Nigeria’s leather industry from a fragmented, informal sector into a formalised, export-ready value chain.

The state-of-the-art facility, built under the supervision of the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment in partnership with Kharis Engineering Services Limited, comprises a production area with industrial-grade machinery for mass manufacturing of shoes, bags and belts, and a commercial wing housing shops, showrooms, training centres, and banking services.