By Franca Ochigbo, Abuja
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has presented certificates to representatives of 101 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as it also flagged off the certification process of 200 SMEs with approval letters to their representatives as well.
The Executive Director CEO Nigeria Export Promotion Council NEPC Ezra Yakusak presented the certificates yesterday in Abuja hinting that this scheme is fully sponsored by the council, all this is being put together to put an end to export reject and increase competitiveness of Nigerian products in foreign markets.
Yakusak disclosed this at the Women and Youth inclusiveness session of the Export week, noting that all over the world, Women and youths are regarded as critical change agents in any economy. They also account for a substantial portion of economic production and GDP in every economy of the world.
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He said, their numerical strength, dynamism, enthusiasm, energy, and positive disposition to break new frontiers in business are critical resources that can be channeled into non-oil export business to achieve economic diversification, industrialization, employment gene poolration, food security and poverty alleviation.
“It is in consideration of the importance of women and youths as key drivers of economic transformation, that the Council initiated a number of programmes to mainstream women and youth owned businesses into non-oil export promotion strategy.
“In the past two years, the Council has made deliberate efforts at harnessing the inherent potentials in our youths by creating the Youth Export Development Programme (YEXDEP), which is geared at mainstreaming Nigerian youth into non-oil export business. The YEXDEP was created to provide a platform for youth to actively participate in the global market space. In this regard, the Council has so far trained over 14,000 youths across the country and has held strategic meetings with relevant youth-focused stakeholders such as NYSC and the Ministry of Youth and Sport to foster collaboration”.