Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council Drives Industrial Growth in Nigeria Through Advanced Additive Manufacturing Partnerships

CWEIC CEO Samantha Cohen visits Lagos to facilitate new manufacturing firms and SME advancement using 3D printing. See how local materials drive this growth.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 10, 2026, 5:21 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from THISDAY

Strategic Shift Toward Localized Production to Mitigate Living Costs

The Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) has identified manufacturing as the fundamental catalyst for unlocking Nigeria’s latent economic potential. During a high-level visit to Lagos, Ms. Samantha Cohen, Chief Executive Officer of CWEIC, emphasized that the current reliance on offshore manufacturing is a primary driver of the rising cost of living for Nigerians. According to Cohen, establishing robust local production facilities is not merely an industrial goal but a socioeconomic necessity to ensure that essential goods remain affordable for the domestic population.

Pioneering Additive Manufacturing Through International Commonwealth Collaboration

A centerpiece of this industrial revitalization is a partnership involving the Russel Smith Group, which is currently developing one of the world’s largest additive manufacturing factories in Lagos. This project exemplifies the collaborative power of the Commonwealth, as the Nigerian firm is working alongside an Australian technology company to pioneer 3D printing at an unprecedented scale. Cohen noted that this facility is expected to be transformative for the Lagos industrial landscape, signaling a shift toward high-tech, precision engineering within the West African hub.

Leveraging Domestic Raw Materials for Advanced Industrial Applications

Nigeria’s wealth of natural resources provides a unique competitive advantage for the expansion of additive manufacturing. The Russel Smith Group’s operations utilize powdered metal to create 3D-printed components for critical sectors including defense, mining, farming, and automotive manufacturing. By using locally sourced raw materials, the initiative eliminates the logistical hurdles and currency fluctuations associated with importing specialized parts, effectively creating a self-sustaining industrial ecosystem that can be modeled and replicated across other Nigerian states and the wider African continent.