CIPPON seeks import duty relief for printing, packaging materials as sector faces capacity crisis

NIGERIA – The Chartered Institute of Professional Printers of Nigeria has urged the federal government to extend import duty relief to the printing and packaging industry, warning that sustained high input costs have pushed capacity utilisation below viable operating thresholds, threatening the sector’s viability.

The institute’s President and Chairman of the Governing Council, Printer Koko T Clement, made the appeal in a press statement, explaining that the lack of local production of critical materials has made importation the only option for the industry. 

He noted that some African countries have extended duty concessions or waivers on printing inputs, leaving Nigerian printers competing at a structural disadvantage. 

Declining Capacity Utilisation and Job Losses

Clement stated that sustained high input costs have pushed capacity utilisation in many printing establishments below viable operating thresholds, resulting in closures, job losses and a shift toward finished-product importation. 

He warned that the continued trend poses a serious threat to the sector’s workforce. 

The required raw materials and machinery are not yet produced in Nigeria at the volume or quality the industry needs, making import dependence structural rather than a matter of preference. 

He added that each quarter of delay compounds these losses and erodes formal-sector capacity that will be far costlier to rebuild than to preserve. 

The printing and packaging sector serves as a critical backbone for Nigeria’s manufacturing economy, providing essential packaging materials for food, pharmaceuticals, beverages and consumer goods industries.

Benefits of Duty Relief Across the Economy

Clement noted that the benefits of activating the concession extend well beyond the printing and packaging industry itself to create lower-cost books, packaging and essential printed materials for the health, electoral and public sectors. 

The printing and packaging industry serves as a critical enabler for Nigeria’s publishing, education, pharmaceutical packaging and consumer goods sectors, with the sector’s health directly impacting the affordability of essential printed materials across the economy. 

As Nigeria continues its efforts to revive local manufacturing and reduce import dependence, addressing the cost pressures facing the printing and packaging sector could serve as a catalyst for broader industrial recovery in the manufacturing sector. 

The institute has urged the government to prioritise this issue in the upcoming budget cycle, as the sector’s continued viability depends on urgent policy intervention to level the playing field with regional competitors.

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