Mantrac Nigeria hosts Symington as envoy confident improved power will boost economy

Stuart Symington, US ambassador to Nigeria, has expressed optimism that improved power supply in the country would boost the country’s economy.

He said this in Lagos during his visit to Mantrac Nigeria Limited, part of efforts to support American companies and other firms that trade in US-made products.
Emphasizing on the importance of power, Symington said given that Nigerians are hardworking and enterprising, he was confident that the country will overcome its challenges through improved power supply.

Symington, who described Caterpillar and Mantrac partnership in Nigeria as ‘investment at the highest level’, was shown Mantrac’s range of operations via a slide presentation by the company’s managing director, Edmund Martin-Lawson.

Martin-Lawson told the envoy that the company, which is the sole, authorised dealer of Caterpillar products in Nigeria, had set a vision to be a benchmark for Caterpillar dealership globally.
Symington said that even though Nigerian economy is going through a tough time presently, it is still a large market and an excellent investment destination with a huge opportunity for the Mantrac group. He said the Company had provided the country’s power needs through the supply of high-tech systems to critical sectors such as the Telecoms, Marine, Manufacturing, and Oil and Gas.

Between 70 and 80 percent of Caterpillar Generator sets sold by Mantrac were manufactured or assembled in Nigeria, according to Symington, who described the company’s work force as ‘truly Nigerian’.

He proffered useful tips and tasked its management and staff to sustain the culture of excellence for which Caterpillar was known. He said that over the years, Caterpillar’s involvement in Nigeria had yielded “convincing rewards,” He maintained that Mantrac had a big role to play in lifting Nigeria and Africa, contending that: “If Nigeria and Africa do well, the world will do well; if Nigeria and Africa fail to do well, the world will not do well.” He was thereafter, conducted round the company’s critical work areas including the Workshop, Training Centre, Warehouse and Cat Generating Sets CKD factory.

Mantrac Nigeria MD, Martin-Lawson said it was important for the Embassy to see the operations of companies like Mantrac so they would have a broader idea of their areas of business, and capability. He described the envoy’s visit as encouraging, maintaining that Mantrac was highly honoured to host the highest-ranked US citizen in Nigeria.

 
BUNMI BANJO