The Chairman of Printing, Publishing and Allied Group of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) – Mr. Gabriel Okonkwo has called on players and operators in the paper, pulp, printing, and publishing sector of the Nigerian economy to support localized industries such as the NIXIN PaperMill Nigeria Limited reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imports.
He made this clarion call along with other members of the Group while on a familiarisation tour of NIXIN Paper Mill LTD in Lagos. According to Mr. Okonkwo, Nigeria’s large population, especially its student demographic, offers a massive market for paper products thus calling on support for local paper manufacturers to produce at scale and at competitive prices. While highlighting policy inconsistencies that have continued to undermine local manufacturers, he condemned the current tariff regime, which imposes duties on plain paper imports but allows for the importation of printed materials duty-free. According to him, this unfair policy has created a lopsided competitive environment that favours foreign manufacturers over local producers.
“This has led to a situation where it’s cheaper to print books and other materials abroad and import them, rather than produce them locally. As a result, a significant number of printing jobs are being outsourced to other countries, depriving our local industry of business opportunities. If local manufacturers can provide high-quality paper at competitive prices, it would reduce our reliance on imports, conserve foreign exchange, create jobs, and contribute significantly to the economy,” he said.
Reinforcing his call for increased confidence in local capacity, Mr. Okonkwo pointed to recent developments with the electoral body as a case in point. “INEC (Nigeria’s Independent Electoral Commission) didn’t even believe we could produce ballot papers locally until recently. It’s time we began to believe in and invest in our own,” he stressed.
On his part while thanking the august visitors, Managing Director of NIXIN Paper Mill LTD – Mr. Eric Wang highlighted the potential of Nigeria’s paper industry, comparing it with that of his native village in China with a population of just 300,000 supporting a paper factory that consumes over 20,000 tons monthly. In contrast, Nigeria, with a population exceeding 200 million, recorded only 70,000 to 75,000 tonnes per month, a figure he believes should be much higher given the country’s educational and commercial demands. “We see that over 80 per cent of Nigeria’s educational and printing materials are imported from Asia,” Wang stated while stressing his company’s commitment to Nigeria’s self-sustenance as NIXIN Paper Mill plans to increase production capacity, improve product quality, and expanding its product line to meet the growing demands of the Nigerian market, thereby reducing the country’s dependence on foreign paper products and contributing to the growth of the local economy. He thereafter assured local users that his company is capable of meeting Nigeria’s paper demand without relying on imports, emphasising that the paper mill is capable of producing up to 8,000 tons of paper monthly depending on the grammage.
Agreeing, NIXIN Paper Mill Business Manager – Mr. Williams Sun emphasised the significant investment of over $60 million that NIXIN has made in Nigeria but expressed frustration over lack of returns, noting that one year into operations, the expected market response has yet to materialise. Sun therefore urged the Government to support investors and take steps that will attract more players into the publishing and paper production space critical to building a self-sufficient industry. He further suggested a total ban on importation of writing papers such as 50 grammes exercise book paper, which NIXIN can produce in sufficient quantity. Not only that, he urged the Federal Government for support explaining that; “We mix 30 per cent imported pulp with 70 per cent local material to achieve the right quality. But if the Government could support us by waiving some import duties, we could reduce our prices and meet more of the market demand,”.
