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NEPC pledges improved access to export

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Owerri, Nov 1, 2023: The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has pledged to facilitate improved access to Trade Support Institutions (TSIs) for exporters in Imo.

The new Executive Director of the NEPC, Mrs Nonye Ayeni, made the pledge at a one day strategic engagement between exporters, Small and Medium Enterprises and TSIs in Owerri, on Tuesday.

Ayeni, represented by NEPC’s Coordinator in Imo, Mr Anthony Ajuruchi, said that the TSIs which include governmental and non-governmental agencies will work in close cooperation to support exporters of non oil products.

He advised intending exporters to register with the relevant government agencies such as the NEPC and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) so as to improve their accessibility to TSIs.

 “ NEPC will continue to provide advice and support to existing and intending exporters who meet registration and other requirements.

 “ Also some exporters find it challenging to meet acceptable standards, we want to assure them that these requirements are not a constraint. Once they can meet the requirements, we will help them access funding sources “, Ayeni said.

Speaking the Area Manager for the UBA , Mr Chibuzor Nnorom, said that the bank would readily provide financial support for existing businesses that are CAC certified and can provide a collateral.

Also, Imo state Manager of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Association of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Mrs Ifeoma Onyia, advised exporters to register with SMEDAN and generate access code for access to Government loans and other interventions.

He added that Cooperative Associations can only be registered by SMEDAN if only the group has been registered for at least two years.

Mr Ugochukwu Nwankwo, the Centre Manager, Technology Incubation Centre in Imo, said the centre would continue supporting the efforts of entrepreneurs by  commercializing research and development results for revenue growth.

He advised exporters to seek help from appropriate persons in the different TSIs so as not to be defrauded by the wrong persons.

Some of the exports products displayed by their manufacturers were moringa powder, honey, oven dried fish, improved Vitamin A garri, honey, green tea and grease , among others.

 The event was also  attended by representatives of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria and the Raw Materials Research and Development Council in Imo.

NEPC

NEPC commits to export inclusiveness

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Abuja, Aug. 17, 2023: The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) on Wednesday reiterated its commitment to foster export inclusiveness by harnessing the untapped potential of Nigerian youths to become export champions.

The Executive Director of NEPC, Dr Ezra Yakusak, said this at the official inauguration of the Youth For Export Programme (YEP) in Abuja.

The programme has as its theme, “ Promoting Youth Inclusiveness on Non-oil Export: A Catalyst for Sustainable Economic Growth”.

YEP is an initiative of NEPC designed to empower active and intelligent Nigerian youth population to become export champions.

According to Yakusak, youths constitute about 60 per cent of Nigeria’s population and should be  catalysts for economic growth and development.

He said the country was not however properly harnessing the strength and skills of its growing youth population to accentuate socio-economic growth.

He said: “The future of Nigeria depends on our ability to harness and invest in human capital development and provide sustainable economic opportunities for youths.

“The export value-chain holds so much untapped potentials which are quick wins for the youths to latch on.”

Yakusak acknowledged the challenges encountered by different entrepreneurship projects targeted at youths employment that had been initiated in the past.

He said that in response to these challenges, NEPC initiated YEP to main stream youths participation in the non-oil export sector as part of the council’s Export for Survival campaign.

Stating the importance of the programme, the NEPC boss said it would among other things provide Nigerian youths with the necessary skills and knowledge to engage in export activities.

“The programme is aimed at building youth capacity by addressing export skill gaps, standards and quality requirements for export products; documentation and procedural issues and the technicalities involved in offshore trading.

“ The programme will therefore provide training and mentorship on the export process, market research, product development and access to funding and markets,’’ he said.

According to Yakusak, the project is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) with Zeenab Foods Limited as a major programme implementing partner.

He said:“ Zeenab Foods is the operator of the Nigerian Export Trade House in China.

“While the council will provide capacity building, Zeenab will provide mentorship and market access for youth entrepreneurs.

“ Already, Zeenab Foods had established the Nigerian Exporters hub (NEXHUB), an online platform designed to connect prospective exporters to niche markets.”

The Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Yusha’u Ahmed commended NEPC for the initiative while praying for its success.

According to Ahmed, some corps members are already benefitting from the initiative and have started exporting goods while others have indicated interests in that regard.

He pledged the commitment of NYSC to provide an enabling environment to all the interested corps members to access the programme.

Similarly, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment, Dr Evelyn Ngige, commended NEPC for the initiative targeted at youths and economy development.

Ngige, represented by Mr Kaura Irimiya, Director of Commodity and Export Development in the ministry, pledged its commitment to curb youths unemployment and grow the nation’s economy.

The Managing Director, Nigeria Export and Import Bank (NEXIM), Abubarka Bello, said the programme was strategic and would provide lots of opportunities to the teeming youths.

Bello said: “We believe that with this initiative, the Nigerian youths will be well positioned not only to develop themselves but to contribute to nation building.”

Meanwhile, the Director-General, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Abubakar Fikpo, said the programme would support President Bola Tinubu’s desire to enhance capacity building of the Nigerian youths.

He urged that the youths should be given an opportunity as they were tremendous assets that could replace the country’s dependence on the oil sector.

A total of $900  was presented to some corps members by Zeenab Foods as benefits of their export businesses.

Traders-at-a-typical-grains-market

NEPC enlightens youths on export of gains

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Owerri, July 29, 2023: The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has sensitised  Imo youths on the gains of the export business.

The Executive Director of the NEPC, Dr Ezra Yakusak , said the training held in Ohaji-Egbema council area of Imo, on Friday, was aimed at directing the attention of youths to non-oil exports for economic emancipation.

Yakusak, represented by the Council’s Coordinator in Imo, Mr Anthony Ajuruchi, urged youths of the area to think toward non-oil exports adding that the nation’s oil reserves were dwindling.

He called for a paradigm shift away from reliance on oil to non-oil products to sustain the nation’s economy and prepare for possible oil drain.

 “ As part of preparation for the rainy day, we are shifting attention away from oil to non-oil products for export.

 “ This is especially important for today’s youth as their future must be secured, hence this programme,” he said.

Speaking, President of the National Congress of Ohaji Youths (NACOY), Mr Tochi Nwosu thanked the NEPC for bringing the sensitisation to Ohaji youths and promised that the impact of the programme would definitely be felt in the entire 19 communities of Ohaji.

Also, women leader of NACOY, Suzanne Amadi, promised to further sensitize and mobilize more women to  will embrace the campaign to join the export business.

NEPC

NEPC trains registered exporters on rudiments of business

Owerri, July 26,  2023: The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has trained newly registered exporters in Imo on rudiments of export business.

Executive Director of the NEPC, Dr Ezra Yakusak, who spoke at a one-day workshop for newly registered exporters in Owerri, on Wednesday, said the clinic was aimed at equipping the new registrants with requisite knowledge of export.

He spoke on the theme : “Understanding the Rudiments of Non Oil Exports Business for Increased Participation at the Global Market “.

Yakusak, represented by NEPC’s Coordinator in Imo, Mr Anthony Ajuruchi, said the council was readily available to provide necessary guide for exporters in marketing their products and accessing interventions from financial institutions.

 “ There are incentives in the form of free mentorship for requisite knowledge of the export market and access to incentives from banks and other financial institutions.

 “ As registered exporters , you must acquaint yourselves with the physical, psychic, monetary and cultural standards.

 “ In the light of present economic conditions, we must think away from oil and redouble our efforts to grow our economy, make it reliable and restate our presence in the global market “, he said.

 A resource person, Mrs Olivia Ukaegbu, said the training was in line with NEPC’s vision to make the world a market place for Nigeria’s non oil products  through diversification of the productive base of the country’s economy away from oil.

Another resource person, Mrs Mercy Edili said the NEPC provides market entry assistance, organizes outgoing trade missions and capacity building of exporters as well as conducts market research and provides advice on methods of accessing international markets.

 Mr Bishop Chukwu, of Zenith Bank, said the bank provides incentives for duly registered exporters who meet the bank’s terms and conditions.

An exporter , Mr Chris Nnanna, the Chief Executive Officer of Chrinna International, a fish processing and exporting company, thanked the NEPC for the training and pledged to utilize the gains.

Also, Queeneth Akubueze,  a student foodstuffs exporter, thanked the organizers for the wealth of knowledge made available at the workshop and promised to redouble her efforts in in the export business.

NEPC

Non-oil export generates $2.54bn – NEPC

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Abuja, July 17, 2023: The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) on Monday said that total non-oil exports in the first half of 2023 generated 2.539 billion dollars.

The Executive Director of NEPC, Dr Yakusak Ezra, said this at the presentation of the first half-year progress report on the non-oil export performance for 2023.

Yakusak said that the sector recorded a dip in value of export in the first half-year of 2023 due to the general elections and changes in global economic conditions.

According to him, the non-oil export returns from the various pre-shipment inspection agents indicated that 3,944,344.17 metric tonnes of products worth 2.539 billion dollars was exported in the first half of 2023 (January to June 2023).

He said that the figure is against the sum of 2.593 billion dollars for the corresponding period of 2022.

“From these figures, it is apparent that a slight decrease of 0.09 per cent was recorded in the period under review.

“The reasons for this slight decrease could be attributed to but not limited to the general election that was held in February/March 2023 and subsequent transition in government which might have likely affected economic activities.

“Also changes in global economic conditions, such as slowdown in global demand or decline in commodity prices which might have negatively impacted non-oil export performance,’’ Yakusak said.

He said that 224 different products were exported in the period under review ranging from manufactured, semi-processed, solid minerals to agricultural commodities.

According to him, of the top 15 products exported in the first half-year of 2023, urea, cocoa beans, cashew nut/kernels, sesame seed and soya beans/meal were top on the list respectively.

He added that a total of 1,058,791.27 metric tonnes of products worth 175.476 million dollars which amounts to 6.91 per cent of the total export value were exported to 13 Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) countries.

“A total number of 859 companies participated in the non-oil export trade in the period under review.

“It is worthy to note that Indorama-Eleme Fertilizer and Chemical Limited took the lead with 282,553,286.15 million dollars in value terms while Dangote Fertilizer Limited recorded the second-highest value of 199,871,962.29 dollars respectively,’’ he said

Yakusak said that 30 banks participated in the issuance of the Nigeria Export Proceed Forms (NXPs) for the first half-year of 2023 with Zenith Bank PLC processing the highest NXPs value at 38.11 per cent.

He said that United Bank of Africa (UBA) Plc and First Bank of Nigeria had 10.50 per cent and 9.87 per cent respectively.

Yakusak, however, expressed concern that the volume of inter-African trade was still very low.

“This is glaring considering the fact that no African country made it to the top 15 importers of Nigerian products.

“164, 748.75 metric tonnes of products valued at 55.085 million dollars were exported to various African countries.

“This amounts to 2.17 per cent of the total export value recorded between January to June 2023.

“This is quite insignificant compared to products valued at 252,056,554.18 dollars imported by Vietnam alone, which constitute 9.93 per cent of the total export value recorded within the same period,’’ he said.

The NEPC boss expressed optimism that the implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and its attendant benefits will greatly increase the volume and value of trade among African countries.

NEPC

NEPC tasks non-oil exporters on e-commerce training

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The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has urged exporters in non oil sector in the South East Region to take advantage of it’s training programes to improve their trade.

Mrs Esther Ikporah, the South East  Regional Coordinator of NEPC said this on Wednesday on the occasion of training programme on “current trends in e-commerce” for non-oil exporters in Enugu.

She said the Export Clinic was designed to build the capacities  of the newly registered non-oil exporters and potential exporters.

According to her, he Export Clinic is a programme specially designed to build the capacities of potential and newly registered non-oil exporters.”

Ikporah said that the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) was the Federal Government apex institution for the promotion, development and diversification of exports.

She further said that NEPC had over the years worked to achieve its mandate by coordinating and harmonising export development and promotion activities in the country.

“The council has always taken the lead in all national export programmes; and interfacing with international trade agencies on cooperation and capacity building.

“At NEPC, we recognise that International Trade is quite different from local trading with several unique features and intricacies that sets it apart.

“To this end, it is quite necessary for potential exporters and newly registered exporters to be guided through the process of exporting from Nigeria in order to maximise opportunities and avoid common mistakes,” she said.

The coordinator said that the export clinic was organised to provide intensive training which cover all the basics of the non-oil export sector in Nigeria.

According to her, participants would be educated on export procedures and documentation; certifications; and other export needs.

“The export clinic would unveil the myriad of benefits that exporters stand to enjoy in the course of exporting formally.

“Participants would be exposed to NEPC activities, and how the Council can assist at every stage of the export process.

“It is hoped that at the end of today’s programme, participants would be better prepared to venture into the international market and export quality non-oil product and services from Nigeria.”

One of the resource persons, Mr Tony Odukwe, an expert in e-commerce  export on non-oil sector said the advent of internet trading has made export business easy.

Odukwe told participants to make use of internet services to take their export trade to another level.

“With internet trading the sky is your beginning and not your limit,” he said

Also speaking, Dr Pauline Obianuko, State Coordinator of Raw Materials Research and Development Council, Enugu advised participants to make use of the training by NEPC to grow their export businesses.

She said that her door was opened for entrepreneurs from the zone to take advantage of the council’s services.

NEPC

We will pursue One State One Product policy in 2023 – NEPC

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) says it will aggressively pursue its One State One Product (OSOP) policy in the 2023 fiscal year.

Executive Director of the NEPC, Dr Ezra Yakusak, said this at a meeting of South-East State Coordinators’  held in Owerri, on Thursday.

Yakusak, who was represented by Mrs Esther Ikpora, the South-East Regional Co-ordinator of the NEPC, said that although the Council was already implementing the OSOP policy, modalities would be put in place to ensure its sustainability.

He said that the OSOP policy was aimed at ensuring that states could focus on export products over which they had comparative advantage by effectively pursuing grassroots development.

He however, added that the meeting was also aimed at ensuring a zonal harmonisation work plan that would be in tandem with the national programme of the Council.

 “We are working towards the same mandate. The future of the NEPC is bright. It is on record that since 47 years of our existence as a Council, we had the highest export figure in year 2022.

 “We can achieve this by further strengthening our OSOP policy through effective grassroots development and hopefully, we’ll surpass the gains of the previous year,” he said.

Speaking, the NEPC’s State Coordinator, Imo Coordinating Office,  Owerri, Mr Anthony Ajuruchi, noted that non oil exports contributed $4.8 billion dollars to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in year 2022.

He expressed the readiness of the South-East region to support Yakusak and his management team in helping to drive the growth of non oil exports with the aim of helping Nigerians live above the poverty line.

 “Despite obvious challenges in the region, we remain committed to working collaboratively with our Executive Director and his management team to empower more Nigerians through non oil export business.

 “The management team of the NEPC is not sitting on its oars and we are prepared to fully cooperate with the team so as to achieve our mandate in 2023,” he said.

The meeting was attended by all State Coordinators of the NEPC’s co-ordinating offices across the South-East. 

MSMEs

NEPC tasks small, medium scale enterprise on value addition

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The Nigerian Export Promotion Council(NEPC) on Tuesday tasked Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSMEs) to add value to their products in order to meet export standard.

The Executive Director of the council, Mr. Ezra Yakusak made the call during A seminar at the ongoing 44th Kaduna International Trade Fair.

The seminar organised by the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry , Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA) had the theme “Promoting value addition for sustainable growth and development”.

He said there was need for MSMEs to add value to their product in order  to compete with other products around the world when exported while gaining more foreign exchange.

” The importance of value addition in products can not be overemphasized; Global value chain are increasingly buyer- driven and are determined by value chain specific quality attributes.

“This include embedded quality information, globally accepted standard and codification and certificate; with this, products tend to attract more premium pricing “, he said.

The executive director who was represented by Mr.Samuel Abolaji stated that NEPC was assisting  MSME in terms of certification while providing expert to monitor production processes and  advise accordingly.

He added that food products like yam, cassava, plantain, fish, honey ,vegetables among others would have more value when processed and packaged well for export.

Similarly, the former president, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) Engr. Mansur Ahmed stated that value addition attracts high sales and creates wealth.

He explained that there was need  for Nigeria to scale up trade by scaling production and adding value to production urging government to scale up policies that supports value addition.

Speaking earlier, the President of KADCCIMA Alhaji Suleiman Aliyu noted that despite the abundance of solid minerals, agricultural commodities and other raw materials, Nigeria continues to lose billions of dollars.

According to him, the lose was due to lack of  value addition, handling culture in production and export process and focusing more on instant profits received from exporting raw materials.

” it is important for local manufacturers to incorporate significant value addition into their production and export process in order to substantially impact the economy, improve FOREX earning and reduce reliance on oil”, he said.

Ginger

Export Promotion Council forays for global market for ginger

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The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has embarked on a “market orientation mission’’ to The Netherlands and France with 17 Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs) in the ginger value chain subsector.

The NEPC embarked on the mission in collaboration with The Netherlands-based Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI).

Nigeria ranks third in production of ginger at 31 million tonnes per annum, after India and China, but accounts for a paltry 3 per cent share of its global trade.

Head of Corporate Communications at the NEPC, Mr Ndubueze Okeke, stated in Abuja on Tuesday that the market orientation mission hinged on the Nigeria’s Sustainability Ginger Programme (NGSP 2021-2025).

He added that the five-year programme aimed at diversifying the ginger market through sustainability, improved quality, certification, organic production and refined processing.

“Ginger is in very high demand globally because of its natural and distinct pungency, aroma and oil content (oleoresin).

“It is the least priced due to quality issues caused by the dearth of critical infrastructure and cutting-edge technology for processing, thereby resulting in poor market penetration,’’ Okeke stated.

He quoted the Executive Director of the NEPC, Dr Ezra Yakusak as saying “it is for these reasons that the CBI is partnering with the NEPC to enhance the quality of the commodity.

“This is done through capacity building, market access programmes and consideration for the establishment of hubs in ginger cultivation, production, and processing for export in relevant states of the federation.

“Activities of the mission will include practical workshops on export market access, visits to prospective buyers of Nigerian spices in Rotterdam and participation in Food Ingredients Europe exhibition in Paris.’’

NEPC

NEPC targets $30bn revenue annually from non-oil exports

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The Nigeria Export Promotion Council is targetting to generate a minimum of 30 billion dollars from non-oil exports annually as revenue.

NEPC Trade Promotion Advisor Bello Noma stated this  when he led his colleagues on a sensitisation visit to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos.

Noma said that Nigeria is blessed with abundant non-oil resources in each state of the federation waiting to be harnessed.

The trade promotion advisor said that the NEPC under the leadership Dr Ezra Yakusak had develop a policy plan to boost the non-oil sector.

He added that the plan was to ensure that in an event that the price of crude oil crashed, the country would have shock absorbers.

“We have a plan known as zero oil plan and we have identified 11 strategic products that will supply Nigeria with sufficient foreign exchange, known as 11 products.

“We have category A of the 11 products as well as category B of the 11 products.

“These products will be able to supply Nigeria with 30 billion dollars every year when we scale up production,” he said.

He pointed out that each state of the federation “has unique product under NEPC’s one state, one product policy to focus on”.

The trade promotion advisor said that when they upscaled production, the nation would be able to realise one billion dollars in each state of federation.

“When you look at the statistics of non-oil export, over the last four years, you can see that the data keeps rising.

“Last year, we have recorded 3.4 billion dollars in the total value of non-oil export.

“But because of the effort put in place, by our chief executive, you can see that from January to September, we have already recorded more than 3.5 billion dollars.

“We still have three months to go, which means is an indication that yes, the

effort being put in place by the council is beginning to yield results,” he added.

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