Experts Urge Action on Nigeria's Industrial Policy, Launch New Policy Practice

Policy experts, corporate leaders, and senior public officials are advocating for a unified public-private strategy to fully realize the potential of Nigeria's newly introduced National Industrial Policy (NIP) 2025. The consensus is that the nation must now shift its focus from merely designing policies to achieving concrete industrial production and scaling up commercial operations.

This call to action was made at a high-level Policy Breakfast Session in Lagos, organized by the prominent commercial law firm Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie (UUBO). The event, themed “Translating Nigeria’s New Industrial Policy into Productivity: Navigating Legal & Regulatory Bottlenecks,” also served as the venue for the official launch of UUBO’s Government Relations and Public Policy (GRPP) Practice Group.

Aniekan Ukpanah, Senior Partner at UUBO, explained that the establishment of the GRPP practice group is a strategic move designed to assist corporate boards in navigating the complexities of rapidly changing regulatory and political environments. He traced the firm's 43-year history, noting its evolution from a focus on oil and gas, general corporate advisory, and company secretarial services to addressing the modern business landscape where state actions significantly impact commercial dynamics.

“Our clients are navigating the space where law meets policy, where regulation meets politics, where a decision made in Abuja on a Tuesday morning changes the commercial dynamics for a boardroom in Lagos by Wednesday,” Ukpanah stated, illustrating the immediate impact of policy on business. Jumoke Lambo, Managing Partner at UUBO, added in her welcome address that systemic challenges and operational hurdles heavily influence key boardroom decisions, procurement negotiations, and large-scale project financing.

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Our clients are navigating the space where law meets policy, where regulation meets politics, where a decision made in Abuja on a Tuesday morning changes the commercial dynamics for a boardroom in Lagos by Wednesday.