Locally made furniture can beat foreign ones – Julius Berger
What is the background of AFP furniture?AFP is a furniture production facility of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc. We have one of the largest furniture factories in West Africa. It’s located in Abuja within industrial layout. In addition to the factory, we have huge state-of-the-art showroom in Maitama, Abuja where we display state-of-the-art furniture. We have […]
What is the background of AFP furniture?
AFP is a furniture production facility of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc. We have one of the largest furniture factories in West Africa. It’s located in Abuja within industrial layout. In addition to the factory, we have huge state-of-the-art showroom in Maitama, Abuja where we display state-of-the-art furniture.
We have a broad list ranging from doors to wardrobe, office furniture, domestic furniture, window decoration. Basically, everything that has to do with interior, AFP can definitely handle that. So with our large capacity as a furniture facility of Julius Berger, we’re not just a separate company but a department of Julius Berger, we’re guided by the same principles.
In this part of the world we talk about local content which is a critical policy by Nigeria government. What is AFP doing to comply with that policy especially in the area of sourcing for raw materials?
I think we have been doing so much in this regard since our inception in 1992. Local content is exactly what we stand for. As one of the largest factories in West Africa, we’ve been producing furniture locally here.
In the area of employment, we have 480 local Nigerian employees including myself at AFP. We’re contributing to the employment of youths. So that is the second phase of our local content. Also in the area of sourcing for materials as you said, the wood is a key component for any furniture production facility. Furniture is made with wood, massive timber is coming from Benin. We’re sourcing this locally.
How vibrant is the Nigerian furniture market?
It’s an incredible market. There’s a lot of room for more furniture producers. It’s is a great opportunity for Nigerians to explore because in the furniture industry, we have lot more to improve on in this sector.
Since you started your business in Nigeria, what are your challenges?
We really need to focus more on local content, just to pass a message that furniture can be made in Nigeria. It could be made locally and it can surpass international standards. The challenge is creating enough awareness to focus on locally produced furniture.
Have you any plans to project AFP beyond the shores of Nigeria?
We have numerous strategic plans to increase awareness of AFP in Nigeria and you will continue to see the plan take effect. I can confidently tell you that AFP has a very broad and carefully planned marketing strategy and we have already started to implement these strategies.
Have you any relationship with local producers like the road side furniture makers and how affordable are your products to Nigerians?
Our prices are in line with the quality that we offer and the cost of production. As far as relationship with road side producers is concerned, I will say that any furniture that is being produced locally is moving us in the right direction.