Procurement Reforms: Tinubu approves “Nigeria First” policy to bolster local industries, contractors

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the”Nigeria First Policy” to prioritise local industries and contractors in all procurement activities.

The approval was given on Monday in Abuja  at the Federal Executive Council [FEC] meeting as part of the administration’s deliberate transformative policy to build capacity for local contractors.

The policy ostensibly covers te field, stating in specific terms that in cases where local supply is insufficient, contracts will be designed to enhance local capacity.

Henceforth, contractors will stop acting as middlemen in acquiring foreign products while domestic factories remain unused.

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President Tinubu orders require the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) to:

● Immediately revise and enforce procurement guidelines to prioritise locally made goods and homegrown solutions.

● Create a “Local Content Compliance Framework” for all government procurements.

● Maintain a register of high quality Nigerian manufacturers and service providers regularly engaged by the federal government.

● Deployed Procurement officers to all MDAs should be reverted to BPP as the line agency without jeopardising efficiency.

The orders require Ministrues, Departments and Agencies [MDAs] to ensure that:

● No procurement of foreign goods or services already available locally shall proceed without justification and a written waiver from BPP.

● Where no viable local option exists, contracts must include provisions for technology transfer, local production, or skills development (by way of example the provision of Quota Allocations under the Sugar Master Plan should take into consideration participants’ backward integration plans and investment in Nigeria and ensure compliance with the Master Plan).

● Conduct an immediate audit of procurement plans and submit revised versions in line with these directives.

● Breaches will attract sanctions, including cancellation of procurement and disciplinary action against responsible officers.