As manufacturing businesses in Nigeria contend with various
economic, political and social uncertainties, the British Prime Minister’s
Trade Envoy to Nigeria, Hon. John Howell, has urged them to stay the course and
maximize the scale of the opportunities that abound in the country.
Howell made this call during a courtesy visit to Guinness
Nigeria Plc’s Ogba brewery, Ikeja, Lagos over the week. The visit, which
bolsters Guinness Nigeria’s position as a preeminent Nigerian company with
roots in the United Kingdom, demonstrates a firm belief in the Nigerian
business by the British government.
Speaking after his 4-day tour of the country, Howell, filled
with admiration, noted that, “I have been very impressed with the energy that I
have seen in this country, particularly in and around Lagos. The way forward is
to channel these creative energies in a positive way for the benefit of the
country. I have also been impressed by the size of the opportunities and the
scale of the ambitions here, they are very absolutely fantastic.”
The British trade envoy commended Guinness Nigeria for being
an exemplar of possibilities and driving an innovative culture in the Nigerian
business environment.
"The experience that I have had during my tour of the
facilities at Guinness Nigeria and listening to the presentation by its key
management has shown me how things can be done efficiently. Guinness is a
thriving business that is responding to the market with lots of innovation and
I think that is the secret to winning in the Nigerian market," Howell enthused.
In his remarks, the Managing Director and Chief Executive
Officer of Guinness Nigeria Plc, Peter Ndegwa, expressed the company’s delight
at the visit which he said had afforded the company a platform to showcase its
strategic commitment to the economic development of Nigeria.
Ndegwa noted that in the course of the company’s sixty –six
years as an incorporated company in Nigeria, it has developed a strong
reputation for supporting Nigeria’s developmental aspiration, maintained a
strong focus on impactful projects across its host communities, be it in the
area of health, water provision, environmental protection and road safety and
profiled as the largest British company listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
"Our commitment to quality is visible via our people,
products and processes. We remain strongly committed to
strengthening the country’s manufacturing base, employment creation, manpower
development and fuelling overall economic growth by strengthening our business
through significant investments in manufacturing processes, driving local
content development via our target to source over 80% of our raw materials
locally in the coming years, and continued product innovation and cutting-edge
technology," Ndegwa said.
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