Five million exporters have been listed to be trained on taking advantage of the existing export value chain to earn foreign exchange.
The Nigeria Import Export Bank (NEXIM) created a portal to train the exporters.
The portal will be managed by the Nexim Academy (NEXA) with Fidelity Bank and Sapphital, the Managing Director of NEXIM Bank, Mr Abba Bello said at the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Abuja,
“Nigeria’s economic situation and the need for quick diversification prompted NEXIM to partner with Fidelity bank and Sapphital to launch the training portal.”
“Through our partnership with Sapphital Academy, we came up with the idea for NEXA, and it has attracted over 4,400 participants, with over 500 receiving certificates,” Bello said.
Bello said social media networks would also be used to raise awareness, but partnering with Fidelity Bank would help us further publicize and scale up the platform.
The aim of NEXA, he said, is to provide training and resources to exporters, as well as other key stakeholders in the export value chain.
Also, NEXA serves as a platform for exporters to meet, exchange knowledge and information, and connect with strategic partners, such as banks.
By bringing the banks, Bello said NEXA’s potential for growth will be realised.
Also, the Managing Director, Fidelity Bank, Mrs. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, said the bank has invested in Nigeria’s export industry for several years and has trained over 2,000 exporters.
Fidelity Bank, she said, has expanded to increasing awareness for Nigeria’s export products globally through programmes such as the Fidelity International Trade Creative Connect (FITCC).
According to her, this programme has been successful in building relationships between Nigerian exporters and international buyers and importers, leading to over $200 million in deals signed.
“Fidelity Bank is now preparing for the first FITCC event in the United State (US) in October 2023, which aims to connect North American buyers and importers with Nigerian exporters”.