According to Dr Ezra Yakusak, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Nigeria’s non-oil export industry generated $2.6 billion in revenue in the first half of 2022.
To expand the non-oil export sector of the economy, he announced the Federal Government’s commitment to the start of several programs and initiatives. To expand non-oil export in the nation, NEPC “will not slack on its oars to guarantee that every section of society is brought along,” he added.
The Chief Executive Officer delivered a speech in Ado Ekiti at a two-day export hand-holding program that NEPC organized for young entrepreneurs in Ekiti State. The Chief Executive Officer was represented by the Assistant Director of, the NEPC National Export Office, Olu Ikulajolu.
He urged youths to increase their participation in the Federal Government’s economic diversification agenda for sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
NEPC, he said, had initiated programmes including One State One Product; opened Export Trade House in Egypt, Nairobi and Togo; SHETRADE Desk for Women in Export; and Youth Export Development programme all geared towards facilitating export.
“It will interest you to note that the non-oil export performance in the first half of 2022 was put at about $2.6bn representing an increase of 62.37 per cent compared with N1.60bn recorded during the same period in 2012,” Yakusak said.
The workshop aimed to, among other things, “Provide a platform to encourage youngsters to engage in the global market to create jobs and increase non-oil export commerce,” according to Trade Promotion Advisor, NEPC Ekiti Export Assistance Office, Mrs Iyabode Abe.
Abe advised participants, youngsters, and jobless graduates to take advantage of the possibilities that exist in the non-oil export value chain. He said that the council would be persistent in fulfilling its role of encouraging the growth of non-oil export in Nigeria.
She cited NEPC initiatives to raise awareness about the growth of the non-oil export sector in Ekiti State, such as a consultative forum on banana export development, capacity building on good agricultural practices for improved quality cocoa production, and training workshops for SMEs, women entrepreneurs, fish farmers and youths on export logistics.
