NEPC begins training of Nigerians on enhanced export trade

Abiola Seun

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council has intensified its engagement with farmers, food processors and stakeholders involved in export trade to increase the volume of non-oil export contribution to the nation’s gross domestic product.

The council also noted that as part of steps to address setbacks of Nigerian exports penetration of international markets, the body, through the Export Expansion Facility Programme, would intensify efforts on capacity building programmes.

It said farmers, food processors, and value chain operators in the ten selected export products, drawn from across 20 states selected for the first pilot phase to change the export of non-oil product narratives would be trained on Good Agricultural, Warehousing and Manufacturing Practices gap factors, Hazard Critical Control Points, and food safety and quality standards issues which are a key requirement in export under the EEFP on a continuous basis.

The newly appointed Executive Director/CEO Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Ezra Yakusak, who succeeded, Olusegun Awolowo, disclosed this, at a one-day sensitization programme on capacity building of stakeholders for selected products in the North East, on Tuesday in Yola.

Yakusak, who was represented, by Andy Dauda, Deputy Director, NEPC, said, the council, under the proposed capacity building programme, of the EEFP, plans to use the capacity building workstream in addressing the country’s low volume of non-oil export contributions to the GDP.

He said, “I am delighted to emphasize that out of the 22 identified National Strategic Products under the Zero Oil Plan, ten have been selected under the EEFP for the training of the farmers/value chain operators in 20 selected states to change the export of non-oil product narrative.

“Nigerian products face challenges in the international markets, under the proposed capacity building programme, for selected agricultural processors and farmers, across the six geopolitical zones, for the first 20 states selected for the pilot scheme who are to be trained, the country could begin to witness a turnaround.

“The training, which is intended to enable them to adopt best practices and adherence to food safety standards, address barriers to trade for MSMEs and inculcate knowledge that would help them improve the standard of their products for export, could be valuable to increasing the volume of export for non-oil products to GDP.”

The stakeholders’ engagement, he assured, will be a continuous process, adding, the aim of the EEFP is to ensure that we increase our export volume and values so that the non-oil export sector can contribute to the GDP of Nigeria.

Regional Coordinator, North-East, NEPC, John Okorie, called on the stakeholders who attended the event from the six states in the North-East to harness the opportunity provided by the Federal Government to ensure the rapid growth of the region through export.