The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has organised training for exporters on the imperative of trade agreements for market access in international trade relations.
The sensitisation workshop was organised by the council in collaboration with the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA).
Delivering a presentation on ‘ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme’’, the Kaduna NEPC Smart Office Coordinator, Alhaji Kasim Yahaya said the workshop was organised to sensitise and create awareness on trade advantages to exporters of goods, and enormous benefits to the state’s economy.
He explained that the workshop was also aimed at enlightening exporters on the challenge of market access through trade agreement windows.
Yahaya further stated that Nigeria has major trade agreements under African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) that has been in existence since May 2002 , lasting up to the end of 2025.
According to him, exporters could also leverage on the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS), established in 1979 and the African continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreements, established in 2018 for market access.
“Economic cooperation among nations has become dominant factor in contemporary international relations with countries increasingly pursuing economic prosperity through bilateral and multilateral networks.”
“If ECOWAS is to live up to its expectations, the economic trade liberalization scheme must be implemented aggressively.”
The Coordinator however said, the participants will gain more knowledge at the end of the workshop especially in the area of exports and trade agreements in international market.
He reiterated the council’s commitment to create a world market for Nigerian non-oil export products.
Earlier, the President of KADCCIMA, Alhaji Sulaiman Aliyu said the capacity building was part of this years’ chambers programmes.
He mentioned that the chamber has considered non-oil export as a game changer in the nation’s economy.
“It is a priority area of the current administration to diversify the economy from over reliance on oil as the main revenue earner,” he stressed.
Some producers and exporters who spoke at the workshop urged the NEPC and other relevant stakeholders in the export sector to provide enabling environment for exporters to thrive in their businesses.
They called on government to minimise cost of export and set standard for the activity.
Hauwa Abu
