Lagos partners MSME promoters on products export to US

The Lagos State government has partnered with Africa Import & Export Solutions Limited as well as Export and Sell USA, to train micro, small & medium enterprises (MSMEs) on how to process and their products to the United States of America (USA).

The training themed: “Export to Wealth,” focused on warehousing, dispatching, export licensing, accessing profitability software window, finding buyers, listing and management on Amazon, opening bank of account and filing trademark, among others.

At the training event which held in Lagos recently, Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, the commissioner for commerce, cooperatives, trade and Investment, said the state has a mandate to grow local production capacity to meet export needs through AfCFTA and currently taking steps to encourage exporters to leverage agreement and other platforms for export.

“The state government is ready to play strategic role to encourage trade and investments to combat poverty and unemployment, and it has tasked the state working group on AfCFTA to deploy innovative strategies to identify MSMEs, with various trade and investment opportunities, that can be supported for product export in the state.

“With the effort by the state government, MSMEs are expected to be actively engaged in AfCFTA market. This training, organised by Africa Import and Export Solutions and Export and Sell USA will further expose them to the processes, procedures and opportunities required. This is why we decided to partner in this programme,” she said.

Describing MSMEs as critical because of their pivotal role in economic development, the commissioner remarked that due to the nation’s foreign exchange scarcity and the need to strengthen the local currency, we must be intentional to develop the country’s agro and mineral based commodities, with special attention on their value chain potential.

Nduka Udeh, chairman, Export & Sell, described the training as necessary to empowering participants with information needed to break the barriers against exporting local products. “The key is preparing the products for export to prevent their rejection and we are looking forward to stronger collaboration with the Lagos State government to further deepen this knowledge among MSMEs.”

Also speaking, Bisola Esan, chief executive officer, African Import & Export Solutions Limited, said the two-day event offered opportunity for businesses to learn how they can take their products global and earn foreign exchange.

“From selling on platforms like Amazon and African stores across the USA to reaching customers through US retail stores and wholesale distribution, the possibilities are endless. Our team of experts guided attendees on everything from identifying export-worthy products to packaging them to meet international standards, shipping them hassle-free and providing the most affordable warehousing options to them in the US,” she said.