A proposed solution which can convey how GVCs have changed and are changing the international trade and what policies Nigerian government support to broaden participation in GVCs.

1. Ekene Nnamdi Okwunma
Course: Trading for Development in the Age of Global Value Chains - WDR 2020
Final Assignment
Topic: A proposed solution which can convey how GVCs have changed and are
changing the international trade and what policies your country governments support to
broaden participation in GVCs:
Country: Nigeria
GLOBAL VALUE CHAINS(GVCs) IN NIGERIA
Introduction:
Global Values Chains (GVCs), represent the principle of division of labor extended to an
international or global scale. In GVCs, production of goods and services takes place by
breaking up the production process into small parts each of which takes place in a different
country.
GVCs, helps countries not to dwell only on the goods and services they have comparative
advantage on. The lessons from the World Bank MOOC on GVCs, reveals that there are
benefits associated with participating in GVC especially developing countries like Nigeria
because it makes them engage in trade with other developed countries.
The rationale for global value chain development in Nigeria is premised on several grounds
that include: viability as a lever for guiding the country’s economic transformation; potency
for addressing the growth inclusiveness challenge facing the country; and effectiveness in
driving sustained growth through delinking the economy from fluctuations in commodity
prices and weather conditions.
Nigeria is taking advantage of her vast potentials in wide array of activities which includes
agricultural commodities (cocoa, cassava, etc), oil and gas, manufacturing, entertainment and
similar activities.
Structural transformation is possible in Nigeria through GVC development via
industrialization, technology upgrade, emergence of new ancillary activities, export
diversification, and inclusive growth promotion.

2. GVC
GLOBAL VALUE CHAINS
OUTCOMES
In the above diagram, GVC is explicitly illustrated. Ranging from factors associated with
GVC participation which are the drivers to hyperspecialization which is the GVC and firm
relationship, then to the outcomes.
Nigeria GVC Participation:
The Nigerian economy faces the challenge of limited economic transformation and
diversification. This is evident from the country’s specialization in less dynamic and low
value added domestic activities and trading in the global system. While the economy was
relatively diversified in the 1970s with building and construction, wholesale and retail
playing major roles in economic activities, there has been a reversal since 1980s. Even the
results of the a concluded rebased GDP from 1990 to 2010 has not shown any significant
diversification away from reliance on the natural resource sectors even though it points out to
the potentials the economy has to achieve this. Indeed, the issue of economic transformation
through effective diversification into industry, manufacturing and processing has taken a
center stage in the country’s economic policy discourse for a long time.
Another important development that shows Nigeria’s gradual emergence as a GVC country is
the recent articulation of the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP). The broad goal of
the reform is to improve Nigeria’s competitiveness and ensure that an additional 3.5 to 5
trillion Naira worth of annual manufacturing revenues are generated. It also aimed at
increasing the percentage contribution of manufacturing to GDP from the then current level
of4 percent to 6 percent in 2015 and to over 10 percent at the end of the life of the Plan in
2017. The National Automotive Policy that aimed to develop automotive value chain in
Nigeria is a major component of this policy. Its implementation had started in earnest with
gradual increase in duties on imported used vehicles.

3. In addition, Innoson Motors is also making significant progress in the automotive industry
with auto plant assembly lines and other related chains of activities located in the South
Eastern part of the country. Dangote group of companies are making waves too in their
cement, sugar and other productions. The emergence of these firms is, to some extent, a
product of ongoing reforms that focus on value chain development in the country.
The potentials for driving GVC are highlighted and illustrated in selected key commodities
and activities where the country has obvious comparative advantage. These include cocoa,
shea, cassava, oil and gas, and manufacturing. Nigeria is highly endowed with basic inputs
and commodities that would normally form the foundation for GVC. The country is rich in
several agricultural products (cocoa, groundnut, palm produce, cotton, tomatoes, cassava,
rice, maize, etc.), fisheries, livestock, precious stones (gold, gemstones, etc.), crude oil and
natural gas. Most of these commodities hold high potential for significant value chain
processes and GVC that remain largely untapped.

5. GVC and Structural Transformation in Nigeria:
These have made inclusive growth through structural transformation, job creation, wealth
spread and poverty reduction. As earlier enunciated, GVC spurs increased economic
activities in new and existing wide array of businesses along the value chain and other
peripheral engagements such as;
1.Technology upgrade: This implies ability to capture a higher share of value added products
in the GVC. It is widely acknowledged that learning and innovation are important
determinants of competitiveness and growth of either firms or countries to improve
efficiency.
2. Skills upgrade and access to global best practice: Existence of highly committed,
competent and innovative entrepreneurs has been identified as an important condition for
GVC development. Most countries, that have transformed their economies structurally
through GVC participation, succeeded by tapping locally available manpower, and natural
resource endowment.
3. Export diversification: Effective GVC development and integration would change the
current highly concentrated export structure in Nigeria. The country is the main
manufacturing base for products that were previously imported by the US and Europe from
other countries such as Malaysia and South Korea.
4. Easy route to industrialize: Today, the country engages in the full range of garment making
that include yarn manufacturing, accessories and textiles. These illustrate how promoting
GVC participation in, say cassava, oil and gas or other commodities for which Nigeria has
positive initial endowments could revolutionize the country’s industrialization drive.

6. Challenges of GVC in Nigeria
Weak state of national infrastructure: Over the years, the state of infrastructure in Nigeria
has ranked below average. In 2010, for instance, Nigeria ranked 100 out of 155 countries in
the Global Logistics Performance Index. The good news is that the situation had gradually
improved over the years with a peak ranking of 75 out of 160 countries in 2014. Despite this
improvement, challenges remain high in logistics and infrastructure.
Weak overall global competitiveness:
The performance of the Nigerian economy in the global indices measuring competitiveness
has not been sufficiently satisfactory. For instance, the World Economic Forum ranked
Nigeria ll5th out of 144 countries in its 2013 Africa Competitiveness Report.
Insufficient intellectual property rights protection. It has been acknowledged that enabling
business environment is a necessary condition for promoting SMEs to integrate into the global
value chain. The insufficiency of intellectual property rights has been a major challenge to the
continued state of underdevelopment of the entertainment industry, especially Nollywood.
Weak regulatory and institutional framework: for domestic production of quality goods
that would meet the minimum acceptable specifications in global developed markets.
Existing regulatory and institutional frameworks are weak, duplicative, and with overlapping
mandates that evoke confusion among market players. These tend to limit the extent to which
local products developed through value chain activities can enter the highly competitive
global market.
Proposed Policy Suggestions:
Deepen policy to further improve the business and regulatory environment to make
investment in
GVC attractive to domestic firms and globally successful transnational corporations. The
provision of basic infrastructure such as electricity, water, transport, ports and logistics should
be given more attention. Existence of these basic infrastructures will improve value chain
development and global integration in several activities including perishable commodities
such as tomatoes, fresh fruits and vegetables. There is also need to improve access to credit
for local businesses, especially SMEs.
Nigeria should champion border measures for promoting GVC in the ECOWAS region
through the ECOWAS Common Industrial Policy. The country stands to benefit most from
such policy development and intervention given its market size and potentials. The region
has several commodities that could form the foundation for value chain development and
global integration. Examples include cocoa, shea, cassava, and fresh vegetables and fruits.
Articulate a clear National Policy on Value Chain Development that is effectively integrated
with the national trade, industrial development and competitiveness strategies. This should
provide streamlined approach to, not just domestic value addition, but also GVC integration.
The policy should be effectively aligned with the country’s Industrial Development Policy
and the Vision 2050.

7. Conclusion:
Nigeria has several natural resources and agriculture products and commodities that could
form the nucleus of the product upgrade through value chain development and global
integration. This process of structural transformation can be achieved mainly through product
upgrading, improved technological capabilities, and increased competitiveness that are made
possible through value chain activities.
Given her high level of human capital base and resources, Nigeria has very high potential to
succeed through this strategy. These opportunities, especially resource-based exist and needs
to be seen and effectively utilized. Value chain development and global integration offers
opportunity for Nigeria to deal with the challenge of limited growth inclusiveness. It offers a
major channel for creating sustainable jobs and pulling a large number of Nigerians out of
poverty.
Therefore, targeted government policies are required to leverage the existing opportunities
and mitigate perceived risks. Private sector also has a critical role to play in this and so are
multilateral agencies.
References:
AfDB (2013) Policy Paper on Structural Transformation of the Nigerian Economy. Paper
prepared for the High Level Seminar on the Nigerian Transformation Agenda.
Gentile-Ludecke, S. and A. Giroud. 2012. “Knowledge Transfer from TNCs and Upgrading
of Domestic Firms: The Polish Automotive Sector.” World Development 40(4): 796 807.
OECD, WTO and UNCTAD. 2013. Implications of Global Value Chains for Trade,
Investment, Development and Jobs. Paper prepared for the G-20 Leaders Summit.