In furtherance of its mandate of promoting the diversification of the Nigerian economy and boosting non-oil exports, the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) will be hosting the Exporter Enlightenment Programme for the South-South Geopolitical Zone from January 28-30, 2020.
The event, which will hold at the Dome Event Centre, Opkanam Road, Asaba, Delta State, and will be declared open by Ifeanyi Okowa, governor, Delta State.
According to Stella Okotete, executive director, business development, Nexim Bank, the event also seeks to bring together exporters, bankers, policy makers, top government officials and other operators in the non-oil export sector towards highlighting the non-oil export potentials of the south-south region and other pertinent issues that impact the contribution of the region to economic diversification.
The theme of the conference “Maximising the Export Potentials of the South-South Region for Economic Growth” will be addressed by various high profile speakers, including chief executive officers of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), the Nigerian Incentive Risk Based System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), the Small & Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the Nigerian Customs Service, the National Agency for Food & Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON). Others include the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service, the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) and the Raw Materials Research & Development Council (RMRDC).
Also speaking at the event are various banking institutions led by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Others include the Development Bank of Nigeria, the Bank of Agriculture, the Bank of Industry and the Nigerian Export-Import Bank.
Exporters and prospective exporters will also have the opportunity to display their products at the exhibition stalls that would be provided, while various capacity building sessions would be organised, particularly for the benefit of the small and medium enterprises.
The highpoint of the programme is the executive session, which will feature the executive governors of the six states, comprising the South-South geopolitical zone, at a panel session to deliberate and agree on the strategies to enhance the contributions of the region to non-oil exports, particularly within the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area, which has been scheduled to commence in July, 2020.
It would be recalled that following the assumption of office of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Federal Government of Nigeria launched the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), which seeks to promote economic diversification through the One State One Product (OSOP) programme. To support the policy, the Nigerian Export-Import Bank launched the State Export Development Programme and earmarked N1billion per state to catalyse the production and value addition of non-oil commodities for export. The bank will therefore seize the opportunity of this forum to progress on-going discussions on the partnership opportunities towards enhancing the access of exporters in the South-South region to intervention funds.
The bank wishes to invite members of the organised private sector and all stakeholders to this forum, which is the first in the series to be organised in the different geopolitical zones of the country during the year.
Interested participants are welcome to register online using the link: south-southexpo.neximbank.com.
Obinna Emelike
