‘Outsourcing printing works abroad, killing local industry’

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, has said that outsourcing printing works abroad is killing local printing industry in Nigeria.

Enelamah said this during the Fourth Digital Print Solution Exhibition organised by the SkySat Technologies in partnership with Konica Minolta and Duplo held in Abuja yesterday.

Represented by the Ministry's Permanent Secretary, Aminu Bisala, the minister said Nigerians still go abroad for printing works due to quality concerns.

The minister said despite the challenges confronting the printing industry, it still has potential to revive the economy and create jobs it has grown to a multi-billion naira industry.

He urged Nigerians government agencies and to patronise local printers in the country, especially those with hight quality.

The Managing Director of SkySat Technologies, Mr Izzat Debs, said SkySat has supported the establishment of over 500 SMEs printing companies across the country and created over 2,000 jobs.

He said SkySat is committed to the Nigeria market and is providing office documentation and digital printing solutions across the country.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said printing industry in Nigeria was going through serious challenges.

"Printing industries in Nigeria are gasping for breathe," the minister said while lamenting the impact of outsourcing printing works abroad.

The minister said Nigerians printing products abroad is responsible for some foreign exchange flight out of the country.