Nigeria Opens First Toothpick And Pencil Factory Saving Millions Of Dollars

All the toothpicks and pencils used in Nigeria so far have been imported; costing millions of dollars.

Thankfully, 250 Nigerian graduates, under the sponsorship of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), have established a factory that started producing toothpicks and pencils in Akure, Ondo State – the first of its kind in Nigeria.

The idea of local toothpicks production was brought up by one of the young graduates, who convinced the NDE that the products could be produced with bamboo stems from the state.

(Photo: NAIJ)
Mr. Kunle Obayan, the acting director-general of the NDE, said about the project:

“We no longer need to import toothpicks from China or any other country for that matter. Let us begin to patronize our own from today henceforth.”

He added that Nigeria will also start exporting these items – and that alone has the potential to provide over 2, 000 job opportunities.

Source: Konbini