The maiden edition of the Guardian Manufacturing Excellence Awards 2017 in collaboration with African Development Studies Centre (Inc.) will hold on November 17, 2017 at the prestigious Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The award event will recognize deserving sector players in the Nigerian manufacturing industry that outperformed in the year 2016 in spite of prevailing economic circumstances thus helping to spur growth & development and also create new economic opportunities for citizens.

Recall that the Nigerian economy plunged into a recession in 2016 that persisted for six consecutive quarters amidst the already existing challenges of perennial power outages; infrastructure deficit and more the more recent foreign exchange scarcity, challenges which seriously affected the operational existence of many of the nation’s large, medium and small manufacturing companies. Despite these, some sector players were still able to spot opportunities and maintain excellence by putting in more effort and resources to further engage the dynamic Nigerian market, address competition, adopt cost saving measures and step-up their drive for innovation & capacity building in order to have done extraordinarily in 2016.

The Guardian, fully aware that manufacturing is a key driver of economic growth and development will through the award ceremony bring together industry leaders in the sector with a view to recognizing organizations and individuals that are driving and advancing the course of manufacturing in the nation.

For the different award categories, the award committee, made up of research analysts well-versed with the developments in the manufacturing sector first called for entries from players in the sector and then employed various objective parameters and criteria in the process of selecting and short-listing the nominees out of hundreds of thousands of manufacturing companies, institutions and businesses registered and operating in Nigeria, eventually unveiling the trailblazing companies listed below as nominees.

The Awards categories: The Manufacturing Company of the Year, The Manufacturing CEO of the Year, BabyCare Products Manufacturing Company of the Year, Beer Manufacturing Company of the Year, Cement Manufacturing Company of the Year, Flour Miller of the Year, Lubricant Manufacturing Company of the Year, Malt Drinks Manufacturing Company of the Year, Mattress Manufacturing Company of the Year, Paint Manufacturing Company of the Year, Personal Care/Hygiene Products Manufacturing Company of the Year, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company of the Year, Soft Drink Manufacturing Company of the Year, Building Materials Manufacturing Company of The Year (Roofing), Building Materials Manufacturing Company of The Year (Wires & Cables), Beverages Manufacturing Company of the Year (Cocoa Beverages), Beverages Manufacturing Company of the Year (Milk Products), Beverages Manufacturing Company of the Year (Juices),  Food Products Manufacturing Company of the Year (Beef sausage Roll Snack), Food Products Manufacturing Company of the Year (Noodles),  Food Products Manufacturing Company of the Year (Pasta), Food Products Manufacturing Company of the Year (Seasoning Cubes), Food Products Manufacturing Company of the Year (Tomato Paste), Best Manufacturing Company in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Best Commercial Bank in support of Manufacturing, Best Manufacturing Company in Health, safety and Environment (HSE).

Special recognition awards will also be given to other deserving manufacturing companies and organizations that support the manufacturing industry.