The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has raised concerns over Nigeria’s declining position in the global agricultural export markets due to issues with meeting international standards for sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director-General of WTO, addressed this issue during an event in Abuja where seven trade support programs were launched to enhance Nigeria’s trade and industrial standards.
She expressed the urgent need to address the challenges hindering Nigeria’s agricultural exports, stating that despite the country’s abundant arable lands and increased investments, it has become a net importer of farm produce, losing its competitive edge in global markets.
Okonjo-Iweala emphasized that Nigeria’s cowpea and sesame exports are encountering increasing rejections in foreign markets due to non-compliance with international SPS standards, leading to significant losses in revenue and foreign exchange earnings.
To tackle these challenges, the WTO is collaborating with relevant stakeholders to improve the capacities of stakeholders across the cowpea and sesame value chains. This includes enhancing agricultural practices, such as pesticide application, hygiene techniques, and post-harvest methods, to meet international standards.
The initiative, funded with $1.2 million, aims to boost Nigeria’s non-oil exports and enhance the quality and standard of sesame and cowpea products.
In response, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Doris Aniete, highlighted the government’s efforts to facilitate trade and investment by implementing policies and mechanisms to remove bottlenecks hindering economic growth.
Aniete announced the rollout of the Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme and the FGN MSME and Manufacturing Sector Fund, initiatives aimed at providing financial support to various economic players and scaling up businesses to spur job creation and economic development.
The Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Nonye Ayeni, underscored the importance of the project in enhancing the quality and standard of sesame and cowpea products, which are projected to increase in value in the global market.
Overall, the collaborative efforts between the government and stakeholders aim to address the challenges facing Nigeria’s agricultural exports and promote sustainable growth in the sector.
