NEPC, SMEDAN PARTNERS TO BOOST EXPORT TRADE.
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) is set to collaborate to ease trade facilitation so as to boost export trade.
The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of NEPC, Nonye Ayeni disclosed this in Abuja while receiving the Director General of SMEDAN, Charles Odii.
Ayeni, noted that there was a need for strategic collaboration with key stakeholders, adding that, the Council is currently putting in place strategic initiatives to enhance export performance in the country.
saying “at the NEPC, we are kick-starting this process with Operational Double Your Export. This initiative is pivotal to the increase in volume and value of Made-in-Nigeria products”, she added.
This is contained in a statement on issued by the Head, Corporate Communications, NEPC. Ndubueze Okeke,
Ayeni explained that the efforts will be focused on the development and promotion of 20 major products that have the propensity to attract premium prices in the global market while targeting 15 existing and new markets.
She says this aimed at facilitating the export of these products by collaborating with exporting companies that have the wherewithal to compete in the global market.
In his remark Director General of SMEDAN, Charles Odii, observed that with 96 percent of businesses operating as Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs), the need to provide capacity building in export business is critical to the promotion of export trade.
He disclosed that with offices located in the 36 States of the Federation, SMEDAN is adequately positioned to complement the role of the NEPC in export promotion, saying, the Agency is considering the development of at least one product per the 774 Local Government Areas and thereby align with the One State One Product (OSOP) initiative of the NEPC
He further advocated a joint capacity-building programme for stakeholders in the sector, a reduction in trade barriers to stimulate market access as well as special funding of SMEs by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to boost exports within the regional bloc
