Suspension of expatriate employment levy will reduce manufacturers’ challenges, says ex-MAN chairman

Wale Adegbite, a former chairman of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), has commended the federal government for suspending the expatriate employment levy (EEL).

Speaking during an interview with NAN on Monday in Ota, Ogun, he said the suspension of the policy would lessen the challenges manufacturers face daily.

The federal government had suspended the EEL introduced on March 9, 2024 — a week after President Bola Tinubu launched the programme.

The EEL was introduced by the federal government to close wage gaps between expatriates and the Nigerian labour force.

It also mandates firms to pay levies for hiring expatriates and provides guidelines on the employment of Nigerians in foreign-owned companies.

The initiative, according to the EEL handbook, aims to diminish reliance on foreign skills and encourage companies to prioritise the hiring of Nigerians by supporting the development of the local workforce.

“It is a welcome development as Manufacturers have been inundated with increasing costs of production,” he said.

“However, the suspension of this policy would surely reduce the challenges confronting manufacturers daily.”

According to the former MAN chairman, most expatriates are in the country due to skills they possess which Nigerians do not have.

Adegbite urged the federal government to make more concerted efforts to create a more enabling environment for manufacturers to survive and develop.