The dream of shoe makers and other leather work manufacturers in Aba, Abia State to produce in a good environment has received a boost, as Greenfield Assets Limited, an Infrastructure development firm, has decided to build a new industrial cluster for the group in the commercial city.
The leather works manufacturers, on the aegis of Leather Products Manufacturers Association of Abia State (LEPMAS), comprising of Shoe makers, belt and bag manufacturers, approached Greenfield Assets to build a new cluster for them, a request BusinessDay gathered has been accepted by the developer.
Greenfield also announced plans to designate a purpose built block for leather manufacturers at the Aba Mega Mall, currently under construction at Osisioma area of Aba, to promote leather products made in the area.
Ugo Umeseaka, managing director, Aba Mega Mall, at a recently held leather manufacturers stakeholders meeting in Aba, reiterated the intention of Greenfield Assets to enhance the acceptance of leather products made in Aba.
According to him, the quality of the leather products in Aba is high and so, there is need for the world to come in contact with these products and give it the much needed acceptance.
Meanwhile, Ken Anyanwu, secretary, Association of Leather and Allied Industrialists of Nigeria (ALAIN), has observed that shoe industry can generate N640 billion annually if Nigerians patronise locally made products.
Anyanwu, in an interview with BusinessDay in Aba, revealed that the Aba shoe cluster produces about 320 million shoes annually and could generate N640 billion worth of business for the manufacturers, if Nigerians buy two pairs of locally made shoes at the cost of N2, 000 for a pair.
On how he arrived at the data, Anyanwu said, “We didn’t go into details, but simply put, an average of two pairs of shoes at N2, 000 per pair, would give us N640 billion of business done in the sector.
“And if Nigerians hearken to our call and buy two pairs of shoes per annum, I tell you, there would be food on the table of many Nigerians that feed from this sector,” he affirmed.
He explained that the data currently used for policy and advocacy in the leather sector are mere estimates, stressing that no accurate and verifiable information on the activities of the sector are available for use.
These include finished leather goods needed by Nigeria annually, finished leather produced and exported from Nigeria annually, Nigeria’s finished leather goods production capacity, quantity of products exported from the country and the accurate number of persons engaged in production in the sector.
The Aba leather cluster said to be the biggest in West Africa, with about 40,000 people directly engaged in the manufacture of shoes, belts and bags and a production capacity of about one million pairs of shoes per week, produces for local and international markets.
GODFREY OFURUM
