Boosting Nigerian Exports: NEPC and SMEDAN Join Forces to Empower SMEs.

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) are out to collaborate and enhance export for Nigerian SMEs adding that such a move will streamline trade facilitation and enhance export trade in the country.

The executive director/CEO of NEPC, Nonye Ayeni emphasised the importance of strategic collaboration during a meeting with SMEDAN’s director general, Charles Odii, in Abuja. Ayeni revealed NEPC’s initiation of the “Operational Double Your Export” program, focusing on boosting the volume and value of Made-in-Nigeria products.

Ayeni detailed the plan’s emphasis on developing and promoting 20 key products with global market potential, targeting 15 markets. The objective is to facilitate exports by partnering with companies capable of global competitiveness.

Odii of SMEDAN stressed the critical role of capacity building in export business, particularly for the 96 per cent of businesses operating as Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs). With offices across the 36 states, SMEDAN aims to complement NEPC’s efforts, aligning with the One State One Product (OSOP) initiative and proposing a joint capacity-building program.

Odii further advocated for reducing trade barriers, stimulating market access, and encouraging special funding of SMEs by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to boost exports within the regional bloc.

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