Senate President Godswill Akpabio has stated that Nigeria is positioning itself to become Africa's leader in raw materials export through the implementation of value addition policies, following the passage of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council Amendment Bill.

Akpabio made this declaration on Wednesday while receiving the Director-General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, Professor Nnanyelugo Martin Ike-Muonso, and his team at the National Assembly in Abuja.

According to Akpabio, the landmark bill, once signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, "would be a moral compass for the rest of the continent of Africa." The legislation mandates that raw materials exported from Nigeria must have at least 30 percent value added before leaving the country.

"If any of the values were to be added in Nigeria before exporting them, we would have had at least a factory for those chains that would have also created jobs for our people outside what the farmers are doing. Technological shifts would have also come in terms of innovations," the Senate President explained.

Highlighting the paradox in Nigeria's cocoa industry, Akpabio noted, "It is quite unfortunate that we produce cocoa in Nigeria but end up importing same cocoa products from outside the country at a higher cost and without any input."

The Senate President described the situation in the solid minerals sector as "pathetic," emphasizing that the country is losing substantial revenue due to the export of unprocessed minerals at very cheap rates.

"Development in Africa in 2025 is still in a primitive state when it comes to recognizing and utilizing the potentials available within its domain. Poverty is really biting harder because of nothing, but ignorance," he stated.

Akpabio commended Deputy Senate Whip Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi for sponsoring the bill and urged the Raw Materials Research and Development Council to embark on large-scale public education and training initiatives, particularly targeting young Nigerians.

In his remarks, Professor Ike-Muonso thanked the Senate President for the audience and acknowledged the progress achieved under the current Senate leadership. He described the amendment bill as "Nigeria's and Africa's number one bill that will change the fortune of this country because Nigeria is a leader in the continent."

The Director-General also extended an invitation to the Senate President for the upcoming Africa Raw Materials Summit and sought his continued support for the passage of the bill.

If signed into law, the bill is expected to transform Nigeria's raw materials export sector, boost industrial growth, create jobs, and position the country as a model for value addition in Africa's export market.