The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria Export Promotion Group (MANEG) and Secretariat of the National Action Committee on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has trained exporters in a bid to improve non-oil export enterprise in Nigeria.
Speaking at the flag-off of the training programme which took place last month, Odiri Erewa-Meggison, acting chairman of MANEG, said the training is part of the association’s efforts to reposition it to serve in its capacity as the leading and most recognised non-oil export promotion advocacy group in the country.
“I enjoin every participant to be involved in the conversations, take in as much as possible information from this two-day training and ask the relevant questions so that we extract full value from the training,” she said.
She said as the Nigerian Government continues to take steps to ensure their full participation in the AfCFTA, MANEG is determined to build the capacity of their members to optimise understanding of the Free Trade Agreement and take full advantage of the benefits – as soon as the pathway opens.
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“It is our goal at MANEG, to build the capacity of members and ensure that as many exporters as possible, will qualify to export their products under the second batch of the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI). We are optimistic that Nigeria will be among the state parties that will be participating on this platform,” She added.
According to MANEG, so far, the practical implementation of AfCFTA started since September 2022, with the export of coffee products from Rwanda to Ghana; and export of Exide Battery from Kenya to Ghana, under the GTI within the eight state parties that have met the minimum requirements for trade under the Agreement.
“The state parties include Rwanda, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Tanzania and Tunisia. These countries are already operating on the GTI without Nigeria,” it said.
Franca Achimugu, strategy coordinator of AfCFTA added that AfCFTA seeks to build a robust export base and grow trade relations among African countries.
She said the collaboration sought to enlighten Nigerian exporters of the advantages and guiding principles of AfCFTA.
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“It is important to note that one of the strongest points of AfCFTA is Trade Without Borders. This speaks to the elimination of trade barriers in Africa and creating a single market.
“It means that the whole of Africa becomes a single market; and goods can be traded between the countries without trade restrictions.”
