Innovation Deficit: Why Nigeria’s Traditional Industries Remain Frozen in Time!

Reported by Marian Opeyemi Fasesan | Sele Media Africa

Despite decades of development rhetoric, many of Nigeria’s most iconic traditional industries — including palm oil milling, aso-oke weaving, and staple food processing like Garri, Fufu, and Elubo — have barely evolved. The tools, methods, and production models remain largely the same as they were generations ago.

What We Know:

• Palm Oil: Nigeria, once a global leader, now lags behind countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, whose mechanisation and research investments transformed their industries.
• Aso-Oke Weaving: Hand looms still dominate, with little standardisation, digital patterning, or access to global fashion markets.
• Staple Food Processing: Garri and Elubo are still largely processed manually, with limited adoption of scalable mechanisation or hygienic packaging techniques.

Why It Matters:

• The lack of innovation limits productivity, export potential, and youth engagement in these sectors.
• Traditional industries are crucial for rural livelihoods, yet without reinvention, they risk extinction or irrelevance.

Expert Insight:

Economist Bismarck Rewane notes, “You cannot build a modern economy with medieval tools. Until we treat tradition as a foundation — not a ceiling — growth will remain cosmetic.”

Citations:

1. National Bureau of Statistics – www.nigerianstat.gov.ng
2. UNIDO Report on Agro-Industrialisation in Nigeria – www.unido.org
3. Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) – www.nesgroup.org

About The Author