The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has reiterated its commitment to collaborate with stakeholders in the country to develop and promote the non-oil export sector, creating a roadmap for an export strategy.
The state Coordinator of NEPC in Ondo State, Architect Benedict Itegbe, stated this during the Second NEPC Annual Non-Oil Export Stakeholder Conference with the title “Roadmap for Ondo 10-year State Export Strategy.”
Itegbe commended the state for being at the forefront and taking a pioneering role in facilitating a grassroots approach to the development of trade policy from the subnational to the national level.
He said, “We are incorporating this conversation about the state export trading 10 years profile in Ondo state, engaging all stakeholders, federal and state governments, to see how to streamline the strategy and the roadmap with the national priorities that emerge from the ministerial retreat in Abuja.
“This is to ensure that there is more synergy across federal government, state facilitators, and state government facilitators. We are also outlining our NEPC Akure program for 2024 and giving stakeholders the opportunity to contribute to the agenda for the year.”
According to him, “This is an innovation; it is novel. This makes the strategy belong to the state. NEPC wants to be proactive in engaging stakeholders to be sensitive to the considerations. The critical success factors that they need to have at the back of their minds when developing the roadmap for the export strategy should ensure there is no gap, and federal MBAs, trade facilitator agencies can work hand in hand with state government agencies to ensure there is synergy and support. Whatever institutional support is available at the national level, we aim to create a framework, structures, and systems to reduce restrictions in accessing those institutional supports for the state.”
He said, “NEPC has an institutional committee at the state level in every state in Nigeria. It is called the State Committee on Export Promotion. The committee includes other MBAs like the Central Bank of Nigeria, NIRSAL, NEXIM, customs, and SMEDAN. The function of that committee is to increase collaboration and synergy among government agencies in a manner that is uniquely favorable for a state, identifying a priority product for the state and supporting the state in having a trade policy.
“We are pleased to say that Ondo state is at the last mile in having a trade policy document. We have been doing well in that direction, and I hope that we will be able to work on the specific roadmap and project, embracing sustainability, looking at alternative finance to support government projects.
We want to grow our competency in public/private partnership, which is the way forward for the development of export strategy projects.
New infrastructures will come to bear, policy instruments will also be put in place, and there will be a superior business environment for those who want to go into the export business.
We believe that with the agenda we set, we will see a dramatic increase in practitioners in SMEs in non-oil export, creating new jobs and sustainable wealth for the economy.”
Speaking, the Director, Ondo State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (ONDIPA) Adeola Richard Alonge, said the state government is committed to the need to develop the non-oil sector of the state.
He said this becomes necessary because the state’s focus is gradually diversifying from oil to non-oil, saying, “We need the blueprint of the state that will champion stakeholders on what should be done next to get to the level of acceptance in international business and the strategic document that was prepared.
The Ondo state export strategy document will enable us to have a focus and a roadmap on how to promote export business in Ondo state.”
He disclosed that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry are dedicated to the promotion of export business, and there are a lot of incentives available in the state for exporters, noting that there is a collaboration between the state government and the Shippers Council, the Nigeria Customs, the Standards Organization of Nigeria, and NAFDAC.
He said, “This is to ensure that every relevant documentation that stakeholders need for them to be able to package their export business is perfectly executed. So the state government is standing in the gap, being an interface between the exporters and the regulatory agencies of the government so that there will be documentation of the export business. The advantages are enormous—revenue generation, job creation, skill acquisition, development of technology transfer, and many more. The advantages cannot be emphasized enough, such as exposure to the international market and also trying to create a level playing ground for those that are into export trading. We want to compete with the outside world; made-in-Nigeria products must be prioritized. We want people to develop their businesses and trade internationally in export trade.”
The South West Coordinator for the Federal Ministry of Research, Oshodi, Deji Oyediran, said the conference is to activate all stakeholders who have a role to play in bringing about how their products can go out of the country because it earns more money for them and encourages them to look beyond our shores in whatever they do.
“The contribution of SMEs to the GDP of the state is insignificant, and these are the factors that we are identifying here, and they have a 10-year roadmap, which is factored out. NEPC makes us know that it is a model that is being tried in the state.
“The expectation is that in the course of the next three to five years, there should be a good influence on the state GDP through the contribution of the SMEs and other multiplier effects generally.
“So there would be a general impact on livelihood for those at the grassroots, federal government level, and those at the state level.”
