Adoption of Production Tools in Agro-allied Artisanal Metal Fabrication in Southwestern Nigeria: Implications for Access to an Essential Tools Infrastructure
Keywords:
Production tools, Agro-allied, Artisanal metal fabrication, Tools infrastructure, NigeriaAbstract
The local production of industrial machinery is vital for industrialization and a diversified economy. In Nigeria, the artisanal metal fabrication sector significantly contributes to machinery for small-scale value-added activities in food processing. However, many of these machines appear crude and inefficient. Access to modern tools is essential for creating complex and precise machinery. This study, conducted among 326 agro-allied metal fabricators in Southwestern Nigeria, examines the use of appropriate tools during the production and finishing stages of machine fabrication to inform public mechanisms that may enable artisans' access to essential tools. Results reveal that 98.8, 99.4, 99.4, 98.2, 85.3, and 67.3% of artisans own essential tools for welding, cutting, grinding, drilling, bending, and folding metal, respectively. However, milling, tapping, and notching machines are often unavailable, forcing 88.3, 96.0, and 100% of the artisans, respectively, to seek the use of these tools in other workshops. Only 1.2% of artisans have a foundry on-site, while 12% possess lathe machines. In the finishing processes, access to tools for hot blackening, anodizing, galvanizing, and sandblasting is severely limited, with only 3.7, 0.6, 6.7 and 1.2%, respectively, having access to these tools. This limitation contributes to the crude appearance of the machines, while vibratory and epoxy application tools are more commonly available to 73.3 and 59.2% of the artisans, respectively. Interviews indicated that costs and the complexity of use significantly affect tool accessibility. These findings highlight the urgent need and areas for investment in tool infrastructure to support the growth of Nigeria's artisanal metal fabrication industry.
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