The Chief Executive Officer of Arone Technologies, Emmanuel Ezenwere, has cautioned against Nigeria’s growing reliance on foreign firms for large-scale manufacturing, warning that such arrangements could undermine local innovation and long-term industrial development.
Ezenwere made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Nairametrics on Sunday, after Arone Technologies signed a N12.95 billion partnership with the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) in Enugu.
The deal covers the production of over 30,000 luminal units, more than 5,000 drones annually at full capacity, and upwards of 200 AI servers.
What they are saying
Ezenwere argued that despite government claims of creating an enabling environment for local manufacturers, major industrial partnerships are increasingly being awarded to foreign companies.
- “The government claims to be building an enabling environment, but we are sabotaging local companies by having large-scale partnerships with foreign firms,” Ezenwere said.
- “Policies and partnerships must ensure that local manufacturers thrive and scale their solutions to meet the country’s needs.”
Backstory
In December 2023, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) signed a $150 million battery manufacturing agreement with Chinese investors.
- The Ministry of Power, working with China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, facilitated the deal following Nigeria’s participation at COP28 in Dubai.
- In September 2024, Huawei partnered with the REA to establish a solar photovoltaic (PV) facility in Nigeria.
During a presidential visit to Huawei’s research centre, the company also unveiled DigiTruck, a platform designed to boost digital literacy in underserved communities.
- In October 2025, the Federal Government signed a deal with LONGi, the world’s largest solar panel manufacturer, to set up a 1,000-megawatt solar panel production factory in Nigeria.
The agreement was facilitated by the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) during a follow-up visit to China after an earlier memorandum of understanding had been signed.
The factory is expected to meet rising domestic demand for renewable energy equipment.
More insight
Ezenwere criticised such collaborations with Chinese firms, particularly in solar panel manufacturing, arguing that they risk discouraging local industrial efforts.
- “It’s going to affect adversely, it’s going to demoralize the local initiatives to build large-scale manufacturing efforts,” he said.
He attributed the trend to what he described as limited long-term strategic thinking.
- “When there’s national interest and long-term thinking of how today’s actions affect tomorrow, we make better decisions that enable local companies to thrive,” he explained.
The Arone Technologies CEO warned that neglecting indigenous manufacturers could allow foreign competitors to entrench their dominance in Nigeria’s industrial landscape.
- “If we don’t start, we’re not just preventing local companies from coming up with indigenous solutions, but we’re allowing foreign competitors more time to dominate even more,” he cautioned.
- Drawing an analogy, he added, “If you don’t contain that nuclear reaction before it starts, once it reaches critical mass, it becomes exponentially difficult to contain. The same applies here — global companies are scaling exponentially, and enabling them at the expense of local firms will make it harder to compete.”
Ezenwere urged policymakers to prioritise indigenous manufacturers and build an ecosystem that allows local companies to scale competitively.
- “The last thing you want to do is to enable foreign companies more, while disadvantaging local ones,” he said.
What you should know
Last year, energy expert Theophilus Nweke criticised the Federal Government’s proposed plan to ban solar panel imports.
Speaking at the 2025 Lagos Energy Summit, Nweke questioned the practicality of the policy and called for stronger governance and private-sector-led growth in the renewable energy space.
The proposed import restriction, announced by the Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, is aimed at stimulating domestic solar panel manufacturing by limiting foreign supply.
