Professor Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, Director-General and Chief Executive of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), is set to deliver the 10th edition of the Bullion Lecture. Scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at The Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, the lecture will focus on the theme: “From Resources to Prosperity: How Raw Materials Development, Value Addition and Innovation Can Catalyse Nigeria’s Industrial Renaissance.”
A distinguished natural resource economist and academic leader, Ike-Muonso brings more than three decades of experience in raw materials markets, supply chain economics, and research commercialisation. In his current role at RMRDC, he operates at the critical nexus of industry, policy, and academia—shaping strategies to reposition Nigeria from a largely resource-exporting economy to a competitive, value-driven industrial nation.
Ike-Muonso is the chief architect of the landmark 30% Value-Addition Bill, a transformative legislative mandate requiring local processing of all extracted raw materials prior to export. This initiative, coupled with his aggressive advocacy for the prohibition of imports for locally abundant resources, is designed to secure Nigeria’s economic sovereignty and fortify domestic industrial linkages. Under his leadership, the RMRDC is repositioning Nigeria as a central production hub for the African continent as well as driving Nigeria’s transition from a resource-exporting nation to an industrial powerhouse.
Prior to his current role, he served as CEO of ValueFronteira Limited, a premier commodities research and data analytics firm. His career is marked by high-level consultancies and strategic partnerships with global institutions, including multilateral organisations (The World Bank, UNDP, European Commission, ECOWAS); development partners (USAID, DFID, FCDO); and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), and academic institutions (Lagos Business School and Edinburgh Business School).
According to a statement in Lagos by Dr. Ray Echebiri, Founder/CEO of Centre for Financial Journalism, organisers of The Bullion Lecture, the 2026 edition of the lecture (10th in the series), will be chaired by Otunba Kelvin Dele Oye, Chairman, Alliance for Economic Research and Ethics and former President of National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA). HRH Jacob Esan, Chief Executive Officer of Geo Fliuds Plc, and Mr. Christian Udechukwu, Commissioner for Industrial Development, Anambra State, will dissect the guest lecturer’s presentation as panelists.
The event will feature the presentation of the book Pathways to Nigeria’s Socio-Economic Transformation. Edited by Dr. Ray Echebiri, the book is a compilation of the text of The Bullion Lecture from 2016 to 2026.
Expected guests at the lecture include government officials, captains of industry, academics, banking and finance executives, energy sector players, manufacturers, maritime executives, ICT professionals, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of multilateral institutions, media practitioners, members of the public.
