Empowering Indigenous Industries for National Development: A Review

Abstract

This review focuses on the imperatives of indigenous industries to Nigerian economy and the concept of national development. It also examines the role of indigenous technology and the successful application of this concept on the overall growth of the Nigerian economy. Rural industries act as impetus to social change and development; this is exemplified in the relationship that exists between the industry and the communities as well as the benefits accruing to them. The Indigenous industries, which mainly depend on local resources, open job opportunities for the rural populace thus curbing the incidence of rural-urban migration and the burden of unemployment. It further examines the alternative strategy of enhancing the utilization of local resources by using, as well as improving upon the knowledge and technical expertise of rural people to bring out local self-reliance now that the Federal Government of Nigeria is laying greater emphasis on entrepreneurial acquisition and development. This effort is predicated on the possibilities of reducing rural poverty and backwardness, especially as empirical results in several studies have shown that  conditions of rural people worsen as a result of the alien development strategies often imported from the industrial world.

Keywords: Indigenous, development, industries, reforms