The North-Central office of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has organised a sensitisation workshop for exporters in Plateau on ways to position non -oil products to compete favourably in the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
The one-day workshop held on Wednesday in Jos, with the theme ”Positioning Nigerians Products for AfCFTA”, had participants drawn from different parts of the state.
Speaking at the event, Mr Samson Idowu, the NEPC Regional co-ordinator, said that the workshop aimed at educating stakeholders in the non-oil sector on export strategies toward penetrating African markets through product development.
Idowu, who was represented by Mrs Sarah Temlong, the Head, Product and Market Division of the council in the region, explained that Nigeria signed the agreement and keyed into AfCFTA in 2019 to provide opportunity for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country to flourish.
”The AfCFTA is a flagship project of the African Union aimed at accelerating intra-Africa’s common voice and policy space in the global negotiation and to establish a single, liberalised market for goods and services across the continent.
”It will also allow for free movement of business travellers and investments through the elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers among member countries, in addition to other advantages.
”Suffice it to say that given the huge size of SMEs, the creative and versatility of Nigerians and huge population, Nigeria is tended toward an advantageous position of harvesting hugely from her membership of AfCFTA.
”However, this edge needs to be complemented with ensuring quality products that meet international requirements in terms of health, packaging, labelling, import regulations, environmental adaptability, and technical standards, among others.
”It is in this light, that the council deemed it necessary to organise this workshop and it is our desire that at the end of this programme, participants will be endowed with the requisite knowledge and competence on the theme of the day,” he said.
Idowu assured exporters and other stakeholders in the state of the NEPC’s readiness and commitment to the development and diversification of the non-oil exports sector of the economy through coordinated and strategic enlightenment.
Declaring the workshop open, Mr Idris Gambo, the Plateau Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, described the event as ”apt”.
Represented by Mr Sambo Zimchang, the Director of Commerce in the ministry, he further described the workshop as a golden opportunity and called on exporters to take advantage of it to improve their businesses.
He promised that the ministry would continue to collaborate with the NEPC toward promoting the non-oil exports sector in the state.