LAGOS manufacturer Transgreen Nigeria has stepped up the largescale production of facemasks in an bid to cash in on growing demand in response to the coronavirus pandemic by opening a 240,000 a day capacity manufacturing plant.
Like most other nations, Nigeria has passed laws to enforce the wearing of facemasks as the Covid-19 pandemic rages. However, with every other country also having to deal with its own domestic demand, there are no facemasks to buy on the international market, forcing Nigerian producers to step into the breach.
Already, several Nigerian companies have stepped into the void, with the Cross River Garment Factory (CRGF) in Calabar, already mass-producing facemasks. Now, Transgreen Nigeria has launched a new range called O-Care Medical Face Masks to take things to the next level with the opening of a purpose-built facility in Lagos to meet demand.
Cyprian Orakpo, the managing director of Transgreen Nigeria, said that since the world is yet to find a preventative vaccine or curative drugs to arrest Covid-19, face masks and other medical devices like gloves and ventilators have suddenly become national security products. He noted that many nations banned their exports to other nations as they did not have the capacity to meet their local needs.
Mr Orakpo said: “This time around, Transgreen Nigeria, the maker of the O-Care Face Mask, has risen up to the occasion to fill this void and contribute her quota as the first indigenous company to produce local medical face masks. This factory is primed to produce up to 240,000 medical face masks daily.
“O-Care 3-ply medical face mask offers protection against dust, pollen, bacteria and all known viruses with breathable comfort and low respiratory resistance. This product is durable and manufactured to World Health Organisation standards.
“As an organisation, we believe that by making affordable medical face mask available and accessible to all, we are helping Nigerians and indeed Africans to live and work freely, learn, and play, create and work, doing the wonderful things that keep humanity moving forward during these trying times.”
Governor Babajide Sanwoolu pledged the Lagos State government’s support towards the company’s success by making the first order of 250,000 medical face masks. He added: “If Covid-19 is going to be with us for a while then, we need to think of how to domesticate some of the preventive measures of which O-Care Medical Face Mask from Transgreen Nigeria is taking a bold step as the first indigenous company to produce medical face masks and we are going to support them.
“We are going to support this company because this is a strategic production line that is important to us in our existence as human beings. We are going to be supporting you in area of procurement by making the first order of 250,000 medical face masks on behalf of people of Lagos State.”
