Export rejects, EPA tops priority as WTO discusses with Nigeria

Roberto Azevedo, director-general, World Trade Organisation, has held discussions with the Nigerian government on addressing issues bothering on non-oil exports, economic partnership agreements and ways of promoting the SME sector to boost growth of the Nigerian economy.

Nigeria has a strategic market in the African region, and that is why we would keep supporting initiatives that would enable it play big in the global market, Azevedo said.

Meanwhile, Okechukwu Enelemah, minister of industry trade and investment, held technical discussions with the director-general on ways of ensuring Nigeria complies with the standards of WTO and respect for such agreement.

The director-general also held talks with the Organised Private Sector (OPS) on how they could play a leading role in abiding the trade facilitation agreement to drive export the non-oil sector, especially now that Nigeria faces economic constraints amid dwindling oil resources.

Ike Ubaka, president, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, suggested to the Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment to increase its awareness creation regarding safety standards of exportable products, as the European Union had placed ban on some of Nigeria’s products, which has led to a drop in non-oil export.

 

Harrison Edeh