NEPC Plans Training For Indigenous Exporters

The Nigerian Export
Promotion Council (NEPC) in collaboration with Multimix  Academy, an indigenous export consulting firm, is set to undertake a practical and detailed packaged training series that would build a crop of knowledgeable exporters to raise the contribution of non-oil export sector to the Gross Domestic Product of the country.
The series tagged “The Making of New Exporters” aims at hand-holding would be exporters through the entire process of export business from conception to execution and after care by experts from the sector who will play the role of mentors.
The Programme which would run for nine months is targeted at creating market opportunities for Nigerian exporters as well as providing a veritable platform for training new crop of exporters that would help enhance the quality of Nigeria’s exportable goods.
In a statement made available to our correspondent in Port Harcourt on Tuesday from the zonal office of NEPC, the Executive Director of the agency, Mr Olusegun Awolowo said an introductory workshop on the project had already taken place in Lagos.
According to him, the approach to mentor Nigerians on how to become successful exporters was premised on the need to create inclusive growth from the sector by engaging more hands in producing made-in Nigeria goods for export.
The mentorship programme as lined up, would address issues of product Quality, Export Procedures and Documentation, Financing, INCOTERMs, Payment Terms and Logistics in export trade.
According to the NEPC boss, it would also strive to create new indigenous exporters in various products such as sheanuts, sheabutter, processed food items, processed vegetables, seasame seed, solid minerals, dry fish and hibiscus flowers.
The council noted with dismay the current situation were business men and women invest in the sector without proper guidance thereby corrupting the sector leading to increase in compounding the country’s product integrity problems.
It could be recalled that only recently, some local food items were banned by The European Food Safety Authority.
The food items banned from Europe till June 2016 are beans, sea same seeds, peanut chips, melon seeds, dried fish and meat and palm oil.
This according to Awolowo was a setback for a nation that desperately needs to expand its export basket to boost domestic agricultural activities and create jobs.