The training and capacity building programmes in non-oil exports sector of Delta State are seen to be producing greater results as no fewer than 125 entrepreneurs across the three senatorial districts of the state are now at the stage of the profiling of verified capable exporters for export readiness in the state.
The entrepreneurs are from fashion/textiles, food/beverages and arts/crafts sectors which are the three thematic areas the Delta State Export Initiatives Office has identified.
National authorities that have inspected the products produced by them, expressed belief that with the rate Delta State is moving, products from the state would dominate the African market as well as successfully compete with products in the global market and thereby contribute in the development of the state’s and nation’s economy through revenue generation.
Many see this as a very good development considering that non-oil export is new to Nigeria and its people. From the recent assessment conducted in the state, it was clear that despite the challenges associated with the business, more entrepreneurs are embracing it as they endeavour to comply with directives.
During the trainings, they are made to understand the things they should do to be qualified to export, and those include registering their companies with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), registering with the National Export Promotion Commission (NEPC), having their products certified by the National Agency for Food and Drug and Administration Control (NAFDAC), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and other federal regulatory bodies.
The NEPC in collaboration with relevant government regulatory agencies has continued to train. The National Action Committee (NAC) on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in collaboration with relevant agencies and the Delta State Government train and build capacities of the entrepreneurs and also set up the Delta State technical committee to assist, all in a bid to raise competent exporters.
Shimite Bello, the executive assistant to the Delta State governor on export initiatives and coordinator, Delta-UNIDO Centre, through her office also trains them from time to time.
The outcome of the trainings and building of capacities so far, is that 125 of them are now at the stage where they are expected to be cleared during the next verification exercise next month.
“A total of 125 exporters are at the penultimate stage; October is when we will clear them. We gave some of them a few assignments like getting their NAFDAC numbers etc. These things must be done”, said Shimite Bello shortly after the export readiness assessment held recently in Asaba, the state capital.
She said that the entrepreneurs who passed to this level are from the three senatorial districts of the state and that they reached the stage based on credibility.
“When cleared, some of them would trade in the African markets, some will export to World Trade Centre (WTC) and others to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and countries in the middle east,” Bello said.
She also said that the event marked the 8th day of the profiling of the non-oil products with the entrepreneurs who are residents and are tax payers in the state.
“This profiling becomes necessary in order to get Delta State ready for the international market with the very best entrepreneurs in the three sectors and we make special considerations for those that have been trained or funded under any of the interventions of the state government since 2015 till date – youths, women, and people with disabilities,” she said.
Babafemi Lawal, the lead programme coordinator, sub-national engagement, monitoring and evaluation for the secretariat of the NAC on AfCFTA,and Peter Onokpasa who represented the NEPC as state head/trade promotion officer, were conducted round by Bello, on inspection of the products produced, packaged and showcased by the entrepreneurs.
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For Lawal, it was not a moment of pretence, hence he exclaimed, “I feel very impressed that Delta State has really moved ahead in the issue of taking made-in-Nigeria-products to the international market.”
He said he saw a lot of creativity across the three sectors, adding, “If we will continue at this rate, I see the products from Delta State dominate African Market”.
He said that what remained was the crossing of the T’s and dotting of the I’s which he said should not be a challenge, hence he endorsed to the ultimate stage, all of them present at the assessment exercise.
Lawal expressed the belief that, “The more we educate and build capacities of our people, on standard and quality, the products will make it successfully to the markets. At the current rate, let’s continue and the sky is the limit.”
Earlier at the training session, Kingsley Emuh, the chief economic adviser to the Delta State governor, had told the exporters not to see themselves as selling to the international markets only.
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“It can be government to government and business to business. There’s nothing wrong in you supplying products to the malls and supermarkets in Edo State,” he said.
He said they do not need a model to succeed in the business but to pay attention to details inside-out, quality and control.
“Today, Nigerian youths do not need to spend long time being jobless. Our population is so large that you can take advantage of it to produce and market your products and make a living. Let your products be nice and eye-catching. Let it be smart and elegant, he advised.
He wants them to reciprocate the state government’s investment in export as he revealed that the government is spending huge amount of money to bring people from WTC to train them.
“Over 1.2 billion people jostling for space in the African free trade platform and Delta State Government is working hard for its people to be major players in the market,” he added.
“Just know that you will be major players and that’s why the national team is here to see your products. So, it’s a good timing to engage you and to prepare you for the major African market. Creativity is the word,” he declared.
Eric Eboh, Chief Job Creation Officer of the state, noted that the journey started in the state last year with Bello identifying the potentials, harnessing them, giving technical assistance and ensuring the upgrading of products.
“Today, what you are seeing is evidence of that efforts, made to upgrade the products.
With the Biblical injunction ‘Many are called but few are chosen’”, Eboh told them, urging them not to take it for granted because according to him, “many are producing and packaging but not many are exporting.
“You may be humiliated in the process of exporting your products but when you have the end in mind, you won’t be discouraged in export business despite the humiliation,” he said.
Emuh and Eboh really commended the efforts of Bello for doing a great work to bring the state and the entrepreneurs to the current level unlike any of her predecessors in the office.
“She (Bello) is the one creating template for everything as there was no existing template prior to her appointment into the export initiatives office for two years now,”Eboh noted.
“For the fact that Governor Okowa has approved export means that he knows the value,” he further said, while urging them to hold Bello tight because she has the network that would help them succeed.
Bello, who told newsmen that her office has been organising trainings for the exporters, on access to market and access to finance in the past one year, said the state Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has assured he would not give up until he sees that products from the state make it to international market.
“The governor has just approved a relationship with the WTC in Florida; and then the segment that deals on African Trade which is National Centre for African Development, in order for them to come and do a one-year training for us here.
“Besides that, he is having them make sure that our products enter into the market. All we are working on is towards zero rejection of our products,” she stated.
The relevant state and federal government’s ministries and agencies were also represented at the event and sensitised the participants on standard and quality control.
Favoured Akpochimoraa, chairman of the Delta State Exporters’ Cluster, who expressed delight over the exercise, expressed hope that the dream of the government and the exporters in developing the Non-oil sector would be realised.
Bello had during the training sessions last year, said the state would be known for export as it is known as home of oil and gas, entertainment, sports, music, etc. as she commended Governor Okowa for not paying lip service to export.
