By Nancy Nnadi, Lead Coach, The Nancy Nnadi Company (TNNC)
As the global economy evolves, one truth has become undeniable: long-term economic growth is not built on trading and importing but on local production and value creation. For Nigeria and indeed for much of Africa this truth is no longer just an observation; it is a matter of urgency and survival.
Today, Nigeria remains largely a consumption-based economy. We import most of what we eat, wear, and use from food to fashion, homecare to technology. While this has created opportunities for traders, it has also made us dangerously vulnerable to inflation, unemployment, and foreign exchange instability.
It is time for a national shift from consumption to production. For me, this is more than an economic strategy, it is a calling, a burden I carry to raise a generation of entrepreneurs who will build, innovate, and create lasting value within our borders. Trading may circulate money but it is production that creates wealth.
Nations that manufacture, process, and add value to their resources are the ones that grow sustainably, employ their people, and stabilize their economies. We must stop glorifying imported goods while neglecting our own innovations; we must build a culture that values creating and producing as much as buying and reselling.
True development begins when we produce what we consume. Opportunities abound in Nigeria’s production and manufacturing value chain, from farming that generates raw materials to packaging and distribution that connect products with markets to branding and marketing that help local goods compete globally, the possibilities are vast.
There is room for those who supply raw materials, those who handle logistics, those who create packaging, and those who provide professional services such as accounting, legal or research and development support. Even regulatory compliance guiding businesses through NAFDAC, SON, and export standards offers untapped potential.
The benefits of embracing local production are transformational. Manufacturing drives job creation across multiple sectors, from agriculture to transport to retail. Producing locally eases pressure on our foreign exchange reserves, boosts our GDP, empowers our youth with skills and livelihoods, and helps us retain capital within our borders to build long-term prosperity.
However, this transformation will not happen by chance. It will require government investment in infrastructure, energy, and policies that make local manufacturing viable. The private sector must be willing to prioritize long-term production over quick trade gains. Financial institutions must step up with accessible loans and support for manufacturing and agro-processing.
Most importantly, Nigerians themselves must shift from a hustle mentality to building sustainable, value-driven enterprises.
To help spark this change, The Nancy Nnadi Company (TNNC) is hosting the first-ever Production & Manufacturing Business Summit 2025 on Saturday, August 16, 2025, at Admiralty Hall, Naval Dockyard, Victoria Island, Lagos. Themed “Moving from Consumption to Production – Unlocking Nigeria’s Potential,” the summit will bring together entrepreneurs, investors, and industry leaders for a day of learning, networking, and collaboration.
Through keynote sessions, expert panels, and strategic mentorship, we will equip participants with the tools and strategies to start and scale production-based businesses, whether in food, beauty, health, or technology.
This summit is free to attend, but registration is compulsory, and it promises to be a catalyst for Nigeria’s next economic chapter. Nigeria can no longer afford to be a nation that only consumes what others produce. If we want a stable currency, thriving industries, empowered youth, and a future worth fighting for, we must commit to becoming a nation of producers. Let us stop waiting for help. Let us build. To rise, we must create, not just consume.
To prosper, we must produce, not just trade. To transform, we must empower entrepreneurs to lead. The journey begins now. What can you produce?
