‘Italy partnership to boost Nigeria’s ceramic industry, reverse $2.5b capital flight’ - The Guardian Nigeria News

Chancellor of Mudiame University and Chairman of Mudiame International Group, Prof. Sunny Eromosele

Chancellor of Mudiame University and Chairman of Mudiame International Group, Prof. Sunny Eromosele

Chancellor of Mudiame University and Chairman of Mudiame International Group, Prof. Sunny Eromosele, has said Nigeria could unlock billions of naira in economic value and create thousands of jobs by building local expertise in ceramic engineering instead of relying on imported technology and foreign manufacturers.

Speaking over the weekend after attending TECNA 2026, the international exhibition for the ceramic and surface industry held from in Rimini, Italy, Eromosele said the country’s biggest challenge was not the absence of raw materials but the shortage of technical knowledge, research institutions and skilled manpower needed to develop the industry.

He disclosed that Mudiame University, whose ceramic engineering programme has received approval from the Nigerian University Commission (NUC), plans to establish a pilot ceramic factory within the next six months as part of a partnership with leading Italian technology organisations.

According to him, the university has secured collaborations with between five and seven Italian organisations, including the Association of Italian Manufacturers of Machinery and Equipment for Ceramics, System Ceramics and Gabbrielli Technology, to support teaching, equipment development, manpower training and technology transfer.

“The first thing is knowledge. We have not even started from the basics of identifying the institutions that should focus on mining and ceramics,” he said.

“We have the market and the raw materials, but we lack competency in technology, manpower and equipment.”

Nigeria possesses abundant deposits of clay, silica and other industrial minerals across the North, Middle Belt and southern states, yet much of the domestic market for ceramic products, including sanitary ware, tiles and marble, is dominated by imported products and foreign-owned manufacturers.

Eromosele argued that the experience of countries such as Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom demonstrates that sustained investment in specialised institutions, technical education and equipment manufacturing can transform mineral resources into globally competitive industries.

“Even if investors have billions of naira today, where is the local manpower? If it is not there, you cannot be competitive,” he said.

With yearly import of ceramics into Nigeria projected at $2.5 billion, Eromosele said the proposed pilot factory would give students practical industrial experience rather than relying solely on classroom instruction, describing the initiative as a deliberate effort to bridge Nigeria’s skills gap.

“Most programmes do not provide sufficient practical knowledge. We want students to acquire first-hand experience operating and designing ceramic technology.”

The university also intends to launch short professional courses alongside undergraduate and postgraduate programmes to accelerate skills development.

Beyond ceramics, Eromosele said strengthening local engineering capacity could support broader industrialisation, including metallurgy, construction materials and advanced manufacturing.

He argued that ceramic engineering could contribute to reducing Nigeria’s housing costs by expanding brick production using laterite, allowing cement to be prioritised for roads and other critical infrastructure.

“With the right machinery and laterite, you can produce bricks and make housing more affordable,” he said.

He added that the same technology could support the production of sanitary products, building materials, hospital infrastructure and components used in high-performance manufacturing.

The collaborations emerging from TECNA 2026 extend beyond importing machinery, he said, emphasising that the objective is to adapt foreign technology for Nigerian conditions while gradually developing indigenous solutions.

“It should not simply be about importing machinery. As a university, we should be able to introduce our own technology and adapt what is available.”

The partnerships involve companies specialising in large-scale ceramic production lines, materials processing, grinding technology and production automation, with some offering intermediate technologies before full robotic manufacturing.

Eromosele said the university expects the pilot facility to become operational within five to six months, while academic training could commence immediately under the approved programme.

He also called on federal and state governments to support institutions developing specialised industrial knowledge, arguing that states should leverage their mineral resources instead of depending predominantly on federal allocations.

Responding to concerns about the collapse of previous ceramic manufacturers in Nigeria, including several plants that became inactive despite the country’s resource base, Eromosele attributed their struggles to weak research support, inadequate local technical capacity and limited innovation ecosystems.

He maintained that sustained collaboration between universities and industry could improve business resilience by providing continuous research, machinery development, product innovation and skilled manpower.

“You cannot sustain a business if you do not have local competency or local people participating in research and development,” he said.

According to him, building domestic technical expertise would also reduce capital flight by limiting Nigeria’s dependence on foreign specialists, overseas testing services and imported industrial technology, while creating employment opportunities for young Nigerians.