Loveth Okoli<\/p>\n\n\n
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has announced a remarkable improvement in the volume and value of Nigeria\u2019s non-oil trade in the international market.<\/p>\n\n\n
The Executive Director of NEPC, Mr Olusegun Awolowo, said on Tuesday in Enugu during a sensitisation workshop on \u2018Export Facilitation Measures, Practices and Standards\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n
Awolowo described the development as fallout of the diversification reforms of the Federal Government aimed at promoting non-oil trade.<\/p>\n\n\n
He also said that the reforms in the sector had led to the high demand of Nigerian products in the international market.<\/p>\n\n\n
He said that participants at the workshop included exporters, regulatory agencies and critical stakeholders in non-oil export.<\/p>\n\n\n
\u201cWe are educating them on the reforms the Federal Government has done over the years to ensure they close their knowledge gap and compete favourably with those from other countries.<\/p>\n\n\n
\u201cNigeria has expanded aspects of its exports activities which has made our products competitive and the exporters are happy that they are becoming more efficient,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n
Awolowo said that the ease of doing business had reduced the cost of export business, leading to a significant increase in the number of non-oil exporters in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n
Also, the South East Regional Coordinator, NEPC, Mr Arnold Jackson, described the workshop as one that would broaden the horizon of the exporters.<\/p>\n\n\n
Jackson said that it was very important that the exporters were taken through the rudiments of trade facilitation which is the simplification of trade, standardisation and organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n
In a lecture, the Secretary, National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC), Mr Abdullahi Usman, said that Nigeria had recorded 18 per cent increase in non-oil export in the past few years.<\/p>\n\n\n
Usman, however, said that it was sad that in spite of such favourable number, Nigerian exporters seemed not to be doing enough to add value to their products.<\/p>\n\n\n
He said that the exporters needed to do more in the production and packaging of their products in order to improve their standards.<\/p>\n\n\n
According to him, in order to ensure that goods leaving Nigeria meet international standard, the costs of imported raw materials need to be favourable and sometimes duty free.<\/p>\n\n\n
\u201cThe relevant agencies of government should see themselves as facilitators of trade and not driving for revenue at all times,\u201d Usman said.<\/p>\n\n
Loveth Okoli The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has announced a remarkable improvement in the volume and value of Nigeria\u2019s non-oil trade in the international market. The Executive Director of NEPC, Mr Olusegun Awolowo, said on Tuesday in Enugu during a sensitisation workshop on \u2018Export Facilitation Measures, Practices and Standards\u2019. Awolowo described the development as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[125,126],"tags":[341],"class_list":["post-28746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance-money","category-trade-and-industry","tag-non-oil","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author",""],"yoast_head":"\n