Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said yesterday that the federal government was promoting manufacturing and local production and would continue to actively pursue plans for production of goods in the country.

Speaking when he received a delegation from Innoson Group and some Chinese business interests, including Shangdong Broadcasting Group, led by Chief Innocent Chukwuma at the State House in Abuja, Osinbajo said government would partner with private sector operators that can facilitate its manufacturing and production plans.

“Manufacturing in Nigeria is a primary objective of this government, it is a work we intend to do in the next few years to manufacture and produce in Nigeria as much as we can,” he said.

He said government considered plan by Innoson Group to work with Chinese partners as a strategic collaboration in its efforts to boost manufacturing and local production of goods in the country.

In his remarks, Chief Innocent Chukwuma said the Chinese firms intended to give a credit facility of $300 million for local production and supply of 5-8 million Set-Top Boxes for the Digital Switch-Over in broadcasting in the country to meet the June 2017 dateline.

He said the firms also planned to invest $100 million to establish technology-based Direct-To-Home Digital Bing Television Stations and another $600 million for Smart City CCTV camera and IT solutions for taxation, among others.