Mudiame University to launch ceramic factory with Italian partners

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Mudiame University has unveiled plans to establish a pilot ceramic factory within six months in partnership with leading Italian technology companies as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s ceramic engineering capacity and reduce dependence on imported products.

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The Chancellor of the university and Chairman of Mudiame International Group, Prof. Sunny Eromosele, disclosed this after attending TECNA 2026, an international exhibition for the ceramic and surface industry held in Rimini, Italy, from September 22 to 25.

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Eromosele said the university had secured collaborations with between five and seven Italian organisations, including the Association of Italian Manufacturers of Machinery and Equipment for Ceramics, System Ceramics and Gabrielli Technology.

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He said the partnerships would support teaching, equipment development, technology transfer and manpower training.

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According to him, the university’s ceramic engineering programme has already received approval from the National Universities Commission (NUC), allowing academic training to commence while preparations for the pilot production facility continue.

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Eromosele said the initiative was aimed at addressing what he described as a major challenge facing Nigeria’s ceramic industry — inadequate technical knowledge and skilled manpower.

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“The first thing is knowledge. We have not even started from the basics of identifying the institutions that should focus on mining and ceramics.

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“We have the market and the raw materials, but we lack competency in technology, manpower and equipment,” he said.

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Nigeria has deposits of clay, silica and other industrial minerals across various parts of the country, but a significant portion of the domestic market for sanitary ware, tiles, marble and other ceramic products remains supplied by imports and foreign-owned manufacturers.

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Drawing lessons from Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, Eromosele said countries with competitive ceramic industries invested heavily in specialised institutions, technical education and equipment manufacturing.

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“Even if investors have billions of naira today, where is the local manpower? If it is not there, you cannot be competitive,” he said.

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He explained that the planned pilot factory would give students practical industrial experience rather than relying largely on classroom-based instruction.

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“Most programmes do not provide sufficient practical knowledge. We want students to acquire first-hand experience operating and designing ceramic technology,” he said.

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The university also plans to introduce short professional courses alongside undergraduate and postgraduate programmes to accelerate manpower development in the sector.

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Beyond ceramics, Eromosele said the development of local engineering capacity could contribute to industrialisation in areas including metallurgy, construction materials and advanced manufacturing.

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He said increased production of bricks from laterite could also help reduce housing costs by limiting the use of cement for applications where alternative materials could be deployed.

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“With the right machinery and laterite, you can produce bricks and make housing more affordable,” he said.

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He added that ceramic technology had applications in sanitary ware, hospital infrastructure, building materials and components used in high-performance manufacturing.

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On the Italian partnerships, Eromosele said the objective was not merely to import machinery but to facilitate technology transfer and enable Nigerian researchers and engineers to adapt and eventually develop indigenous technologies.

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“It should not simply be about importing machinery. As a university, we should be able to introduce our own technology and adapt what is available,” he said.

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He said the collaborations covered large-scale ceramic production lines, materials processing, grinding technology and production automation, including intermediate technologies that could serve as a bridge to more advanced robotic manufacturing.

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Eromosele said the pilot factory was expected to become operational within five to six months, while academic activities under the approved ceramic engineering programme could begin immediately.

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He urged federal and state governments to support institutions developing specialised industrial knowledge, saying states should leverage their mineral resources rather than depend predominantly on federal allocations.

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Reflecting on the collapse of some ceramic manufacturing companies in Nigeria, he attributed the challenges to inadequate research support, limited local technical capacity and weak innovation ecosystems.

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He said stronger university-industry collaboration could provide continuous research, machinery development, product innovation and skilled manpower required to sustain local manufacturing.

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“You cannot sustain a business if you do not have local competency or local people participating in research and development,” he said.

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According to him, developing domestic technical expertise would also help reduce capital flight associated with reliance on foreign specialists, overseas testing services and imported industrial technology, while creating employment opportunities for young Nigerians.

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