Following its recent investment from Aruwa Capital Management and its participation at the Nigerian Oil & Gas Opportunity Fair in Bayelsa, Yikodeen, an indigenous footwear manufacturer, says it will officially unveil its newly expanded manufacturing facility on June 24.
The unveiling, it said, represented a landmark achievement in Nigeria’s local content promotion by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, saying it positioned Yikodeen as home to the “most technologically advanced” safety footwear production facility in West Africa.
“The recommissioning ceremony, to be held at the company’s manufacturing headquarters in Lagos, will reveal the culmination of months of intensive equipment installation, facility upgrades, and workforce training.
“Industry leaders, government officials, and media representatives have been invited to witness this significant step towards a more self-reliant and globally competitive Nigerian manufacturing sector, with Yikodeen leading the transformation,” a statement by the firm said on Sunday.
It was said that the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Felix Ogbe, had been appointed as the Special Guest of Honour at the event.
“His presence at the event will not only underscore the board’s commitment to deepening Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry but also further solidify the strategic partnership between NCDMB and Yikodeen as the only approved safety footwear manufacturer and supplier in the sector.
“This facility represents a new chapter of possibilities not just for Yikodeen, but for Nigerian manufacturing as a whole,” the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Yikodeen, Yinka Shamsideen, said.
He added, “What guests will see on June 24 is proof of what’s possible when we bet on ourselves, world-class ‘Made-in-Nigeria’ products that compete globally while addressing local needs. Our recent success at NOGOF demonstrates the industry’s confidence in our capabilities to serve Nigeria’s most critical sectors.”
He stated that the redesigned facility accommodated specialised production lines dedicated to multiple product categories, enabling simultaneous manufacturing with category-specific expertise across industrial safety footwear suitable for different industries including oil and gas, construction, manufacturing, and mining, back-to-school shoes designed for educational institutions, military and paramilitary footwear, meeting rigorous security and defence sector demands, and athletic footwear under the popular Yiko Plus brand for sports and casual wear.
“A major breakthrough for the Nigerian manufacturing sector, the facility features complete sole manufacturing capability, reducing dependency on imported components and ensuring quality control from raw materials to finished products,” it added.
With the upgrades, Shamsideen disclosed that Yikodeen would increase its production capacity from 500 pairs daily to a projected 2,500 pairs at full operation, making it the largest footwear manufacturer in West Africa.
