The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), the country’s non-oil export promotion agency, has promised to continue to assist exporters in the micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs) sector of the economy, to imbibe the culture of high quality in production and processing of goods.
Olusegun Awolowo, executive director/chief executive officer, NEPC gave the promise in his keynote address at a one-day capacity building programme on agro-production and processing for MSMEs, held in Owerri, Imo State capital.
Speaking on the theme “strengthening the technological skills of MSMEs’’, which he considered fitting and encapsulating, Awolowo, said that MSMEs were recognised globally as the engine for growth of modern economies, as they offer employment opportunities to a large number of citizens in any given economy than large enterprises, hence contribute to poverty reduction.
According to him, experiences have shown no nation ever developed without appreciable inputs from the MSMEs segment.
He, however, noted that technological skills problems/competence and lack of essential and required expertise in production, processing have been the challenges facing the MSMEs in the agricultural sub-sector of Nigeria’s economy.
“We all know that the performance of MSMEs as instrument for economic growth, development and poverty reduction among the populace is the topic of interest in this present administration, hence the need for well-planned intervention to raise the technological skills of the SMEs in such a way that those involved in agro production and processing can produce high quality produce for export through the use of affordable and new technologies”.
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He explained that production of products have gone beyond mere assembling, but as a result of education, increased urban population, marketing outlets in shopping malls and the use of internet (web and social media), the need for good quality assurance, technical skills, efficient packaging and labelling have become more paramount.
“A casual visit to a shopping mall will reveal the impact of branding and packaging”, he stated.
Awolowo, who was represented at the forum, by Anthony Ajuruchi, chief trade promotions officer, NEPC, therefore, urged MSMEs to embrace the new ways of production and marketing to make the required impact on both the domestic and export markets.
He stated that capacity building for MSMEs in the agro value chain was vital towards increasing production and processing of high quality agricultural products in Nigeria, through the strengthening of technological skills of smallholding operators in the agro sub-sector.
Awolowo appealed to relevant government agencies, including ministries of agriculture, commerce and industry, women and youth development, technology incubation centre (TIC) in Imo State to assist the MSMEs in order to sustain the gains of the training.
