NEPC collaborates with NACC, UNIDO, to boost non-oil exports in Nigeria
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) in collaboration with the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) has concluded plans to boost non-oil exports in the country while at the same time taking advantage of the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) to export more to the United States.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr Segun Awolowo said it was regrettable that non-oil export trade between Nigeria and the US had remained low at 2% assuring that with the partnership non-oil export figures in the country will grow.
He said that the Federal Government had created a national committee for export promotion to drive its zero-oil plan, saying that the National Economic Council (NEC)-chaired by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, would go a long way to boost productivity in the nation’s non-oil export sector in a bid to get goods exported to the USA.
Speaking further, Mr. Awolowo said that “We are here because the chamber is going to be important to increase our non-oil export to the US. We need you to explore the possibility of investment into priority areas for development of our export. We need more investments in manufacturing and industry. This will be the major focus where we want your organisation to help us. We also need to improve the quality of our products and we are also going to need your support on how we can meet the American standards,” he said.
Responding, The resident of Nigerian American Chamber of Commerce (NACC), Oluwatoyin Akomolafe, said “We want you to support us and there are plans to make Nigeria the centre for AGOA in Africa. So we need to really work very closely together”.
According to him most of the African countries that had done well in AGOA implemented a well-articulated national AGOA strategy.
“This is why we developed over a year ago, a national strategy for Nigeria. We want an implementable strategy. We call it a five-year strategy programme where on a yearly basis we measure the level of successes we have made. However, the chamber cannot approve a national AGOA strategy, so this is why we are seeking the support of the ministry of trade through this partnership with the council,” Akomolafe stated.
Speaking on the partnership with UNIDO, Awolowo disclosed that it was part of a series of capacity building and awareness programmes all targeted at ensuring that non-oil exports are globally competitive through quality assurance and hitch- free export.
Specifically, he said at the sensitisation workshop on implementation of the Export Control Plan on Dried Beans Export, that the move was an additional effort by the council at reducing the incidence of rejection of agricultural exports to European Union and other parts of the world.
The partnership, he explained further, had become imperative to address European Union’s suspension of the export of Nigeria’s dried beans due to its high pesticide residue which he said was far above the Maximum Residual Level (MRL).
