By Mustapha Yauri
The Galadiman Ruwa Centre for Strategic Leadership and Communication (GCSLC/IT) has proposed the establishment of the Nigerian Green Energy and Chemicals Corporation (NGECC) to help Nigeria achieve a one-trillion-dollar economy within 60 months.
Dr Jaafaru Sa’ad, Chairman of the centre, made the proposal in an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, a copy of which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Zaria.
Sa’ad said the proposed corporation would process Nigeria’s coal resources into synthetic graphite, advanced carbon materials and silicon composites required by the fast-growing global artificial intelligence industry and other advanced manufacturing sectors.
According to him, the initiative would promote value addition by replacing conventional coal utilisation with industrial processing, thereby increasing export earnings, strengthening the naira, supporting industrialisation and enhancing Nigeria’s long-term competitiveness.
NAN reports that the proposal, titled “The 60-Month Sovereign Acceleration Matrix,” outlines structural reforms aimed at enabling Nigeria to attain a one-trillion-dollar economy within five years, instead of projections of about 14 years.
Sa’ad said the proposal rests on two strategic pillars: formalising the informal economy and establishing the NGECC to unlock the value of Nigeria’s strategic mineral resources.
He said research conducted across more than 200 communities identified millions of traders, artisans and entrepreneurs operating outside the formal economy, whose inclusion would significantly expand economic output and financial inclusion.
According to him, formalising about 50 million informal-sector operators would boost the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), reduce poverty, create sustainable opportunities for women and youths, and broaden the country’s tax and revenue base.
Sa’ad added that rising global investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure presents Nigeria with an opportunity to earn more foreign exchange through value-added exports and position itself as a competitive supplier of critical industrial materials.
He said achieving a one-trillion-dollar economy would require bold structural reforms and reaffirmed the centre’s readiness to work with the Federal Government to advance Nigeria’s digital and industrial transformation. (NAN)