- Bans procurement of foreign goods produced locally
- MDAs to get BPP waivers for offshore procurement
In one of its boldest moves so far, the Federal Government yesterday unveiled a new Nigeria First policy which bars all government ministries, departments and agencies from importing all goods and services that are readily available in the country.
The new policy framework places the country at the center of all public procurement and business activity, with a strong emphasis on empowering local industries and reducing dependency on foreign imports.
Tagged the Renewed Hope Nigeria First Policy, it seeks to foster a new procurement culture that is wholly Nigerian in content and character.
The Policy mirrors U.S. President Donald Trump’s “America First,”, and it gives the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) sweeping powers to ensure full compliance with the federal government procurement policies along with necessary sanctions for non- compliance.
Information minister, Mohammed Idris, told reporters yesterday after the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting that the Federal Government will prioritise Nigeria’s interest at the center of all public procurement and business activity, with a strong emphasis on empowering local industries and reducing dependency on foreign imports.
According to him, “President Bola Tinubu has proposed that we will no longer just sit and allow importation to come into this country where there is capacity for the production of any of these commodities locally. So the President has proposed these directives, which have been approved by the Federal Executive Council.
“(These directives) aim at making sure government investment directly benefit our people and industries by changing how we spend, how we procure, and how we build our economy.”
Idris announced that the president also directed FEC the Attorney General of the Federation to draft an Executive Order to give full legal effect to the new framework.
“Now this seeks to foster a new business culture that will be bold, confident, but also very, very Nigerian, and it aims at making government to invest in our people and our industries by changing how government spends money, how we procure and how we also we build our economy.
“Going forward, Nigerian industry will take precedence in all procurement processes. Where local supply falls short, contracts will be structured to build capacity domestically. Contractors will no longer serve as intermediaries for sourcing foreign goods while local factories die.
According to Idris, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has also been directed to revise and enforce procurement rules that prioritise Nigerian-made goods and homegrown solutions across all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
“The BPP will create a comprehensive compliance mechanism to ensure all government procurements adhere to local content requirements.
“The Council also approved a regularly updated database of high-quality Nigerian suppliers to be maintained by the BPP and used as a reference for all procurement decisions, even as “Procurement officers currently deployed to various MDAs will be reverted to the BPP to ensure compliance and reduce undue influence or corruption.
“No MDA will be allowed to procure foreign goods or services already available locally without a written waiver from the BPP. Where foreign contracts are unavoidable, they must include provisions for technology transfer, local production, or capacity development in Nigeria.
“MDAs are to immediately review and resubmit their procurement plans to align with the new policy directives. Breaches will result in disciplinary action and possible cancellation of the procurement process.
“This is a major shift in government policy. It puts Nigeria – not foreign companies, not imports – at the heart of our national development,” Idris said.