The Guardian honours excellence in manufacturing

Nigeria's manufacturing sector was one of the worst hit by the foreign exchange crisis last year but with the manufacturing PMI up for the third consecutive month, optimism about this space is slowly returning this year.

The maiden edition of The Guardian Manufacturing Excellence Award took place at the Eko Hotels&Suites on November 17 and major players in Nigeria's manufacturing sector were rewarded for their tenacity, excellence and innovation.

Babatunde Odunayo, Chairman, Apapa Branch, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria joins CNBC Africa to review activities in Nigeria's manufacturing space this year and provide an outlook for next year.

U.K. manufacturing slowed more than expected in April as the Purchasing Managers Index fell to 53.9, a 17-month low.

The Central Bank of Nigeria's manufacturing PMI for October came in at 56.8 index points, indicating an expansion for the 19th consecutive month. Ugochukwu Irechukwu, Divisional Head, Institutional Banking at Diamond Bank joins CNBC Africa from the banking hall for this discussion.

Nigeria has set a target to double its manufacturing output to 20 per cent of GDP within six years and will set up special economic zones across the country in partnership with regional aid banks to achieve this target. Johnson Chukwu, CEO of Cowry Asset Management Limited joins CNBC Africa to discuss this.

Michael Gapen, chief U.S. economist at Barclays, examines the U.S. May jobs report.

Nigeria’s Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (MPMI) for the month of July stood at 57.6 index points according to data by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). To discuss this and other top business news making the rounds, Kayode Akindele, Partner at TIA Capital joins CNBC Africa for more.

President of Nigeria's Manufacturers Association (MAN), Mansur Ahmed says year-long engagements with key stakeholders, government across levels, Afreximbank and an extensive study of the AfCFTA's impact on its operations have assured manufacturers in Nigeria that opportunities presented by the trade agreement outweigh its risks. On the side-lines of the AGM of the Manufacturer's Association on Nigeria, he joins CNBC Africa's Christy Cole for more.

Ahead of its scheduled hot commissioning in October, BUA Group has unveiled its foods manufacturing complex in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. To talk project capacity, output and impact on Nigeria’s food self-sufficiency journey, CNBC Africa’s Christy Cole caught up with the General Manager of BUA Ports and Terminals, Mohammed Lile for more.

Microgravity can be used to unlock old materials and make new ones in ways that can’t be replicated on Earth. Private companies know this, and are leading the charge toward the next gold rush. But can they turn low Earth orbit into a home for the next industrial revolution?

SecureID, a Nigerian manufacturing and technology company, makes bank cards, mobile phone SIMs and voting cards, with businesses in 21 African countries.