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Tag: NACCIMA

  • NACCIMA faults ECOWAS common external tariff

    NACCIMA faults ECOWAS common external tariff

    The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has raised the alarm over the proposed Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Common External Tariff (CET).

    President, NACCIMA, Alhaji Badaru Mohammed, Mohammed spoke to The Nation on the sideline of the Review of the state of the Nation in Lagos.

    The NACCIMA chief, who was represented by the First Deputy National President, Chief Bassey Edem, said there is a gap between the savings and lending rate.

    He said the chamber is concerned  that the nation’s borders will be thrown open to goods from within the West African sub-region from next month when it will be operational.

    He said it would pose a huge challenge for the nation’s growing industries that are battling with the devaluation of the Naira, among other challenges.

    He cautioned on the need to ensure compliance to all protocols signed by ECOWAS to eliminate dumping of goods in the country to protect the growing industries to realise the nation’s proposed Industrial Revolution Plan.

    He said: “The cost of funds currently hovers between 22-35 per cent depending on the profile of the firms, which is too high for any productive venture and has significant implication on the global competitiveness of Nigerian firms and their products.”

    On the power sector, he advised the government to work with the Generating and Distribution Companies (GENCOS and DISCOS) to achieve the desired energy requirement of the country in view of the critical role the sector plays in the development of the national economy.

    In his words: “It is imperative that all stakeholders in the power sector should collaborate to improve on the current output, which hovers between 3,200 Megawatts Mw and 3,500 Mw. We also want to counsel government to demonstrate the political will needed to drive the alternative sources of power so as to significantly improve on the power supply in the country.”

  • Shippers Council to implement recommendation of judges’seminar

    Shippers Council to implement recommendation of judges’seminar

    The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC),  has began the implementation of  some of the recommendations of the Maritime Seminar for Judges held in June this year, the Executive Secretary, Hassan Bello has  said.

    Bello told The Nation that the NSCs’ Legal Department, has set up a committee to look at the communiqué issued at the end of the seminar with a view to identifying how to implement the recommendations.

    “A committee was set up at the end of the seminar. It has inter-ministerial responsibilities and they have set up a committee. It has been done to see that certain things are implemented. As you know, the maritime seminar is not just a talk shop. Through the seminar, we have domesticated about two or three conventions, we have also done some administrative changes in maritime sector. It has influenced our judicial decisions also. So, the maritime seminar is a canvasser of thoughts. So, this committee that has been set up is working to see that decisions reached at the last seminar are actualised

    Bello said the board of Nigerian Shippers Council is technical and is being represented by NNPC, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), and National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA). “Also there are issue-based discussions on the challenges in the maritime sector and solutions to these challenges,” he said.

    On the increased jurisdiction of the council, whether there is a corresponding increment on their financial allocations, Bello said: “Yes, we love that Shippers Council is ready to go on. As a matter fact, we have made presentation and I am sure it is being looked at. We want to bring more revenue to the government. Through the Customs, we could triple the revenue coming from the ports if given the chance to work. We have started. We would soon make profound statement on issues that we have negotiated.”

    Speaking on  the Inland Container Depots otherwise called Dry Ports, he said: “It is going on. We have just turned the sod for Funtua. The concessionaire will start construction very soon. We have had discussion with Oyo State government, the Ibadan ICD and many others are in the pipeline. I think the idea has gone down now, it is being accepted. If we have the dry port, it means we are taking shipping to the door steps of shippers. It means that Apapa Port and road would be free from congestion.  It means that the economy of the places where these ICD’s are located will boom because there are other industries attached to it. The haulage industry, the warehouses and so on, and the cost of transportation would reduce drastically.”

    He added: “We are working with Customs, what is left now is the legal framework and this has been sent to the President by the Minister of Transport. The moment it comes out, construction will start. And then these ports will be ports of destination and ports of origin, which means through bill of lading, you can consign cargo to Funtua from Denmark and when they come, they will not be examined at Apapa, they will just be taken by train to Funtua where they would be examined and you see the train is working now. When we are fully done, all these trucks coming, you will not see them littering the roads any more, they will be in the localities of the ports. So, it will solve the perennial congestion at the port. It will be faster and it will cost the transport cost.

    Speaking on mult-modal transport system in the country, Bello said: “That is what we have been doing. Multi-model transportation is the way to go about it. We are even supported by the United Nations Convention on carriage of goods wholly or partly by sea otherwise known as the Rotterdam Rules, which we crafted together with all the African countries. This is a goods convention which supports multi-modalism   it will support inter-modalism. That is what is ideal.  It is a model where sea ports are linked with the rails, road and inland waterways. It is not all road, now in Nigeria, 80 per cent of the carriage is by roads. That is why we have problem with the roads. So, if we have other means of transport we will use them. The ports particularly, must be linked with many modes of transportation. So, multi-modalism is the future and Nigeria is already moving in that direction.”

    Talking on the concept of Transit Parks, Bello said the truck transit park is a Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) initiative for infrastructure change. “There is much deficit in infrastructure and Nigeria will have to modernise its transport infrastructure. Now, we can’t have trailers or trucks parked indiscriminately. That is why we said we could have a truck transit park. It is a modern way where we have parking spaces off the main way, where you have fuel stations, gas stations, hostels, shops, everything, the modern way of doing this thing,” he said.

    He added: “This is a revenue booster, we have been allocated land in Kogi State, for example, and this is where we will have the initial one. We are also talking with NNPC, which would like to have their retail outlets in these structures. By the end of next year, we hope that one or two trailer parks will be ready. We are working with other agencies of the government like the Road Safety Corps, and so on. Now, there should be some facilities which have been recommended by ECOWAS protocol on weights of goods by these trucks. It will reduce congestion; ensure the safety and security of cargoes. There will be trackers all over, where you track your cargo. It is a civilised way of doing things”.

  • Nahco, NEPC, others partner on export promotion

    Nahco, NEPC, others partner on export promotion

    A joint committee made up of representatives of the Lagos State Government, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), nahco aviance and Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Services (NAQS) is to be set up to work out ways to improve export in the country.

    Each party is to be represented by two members each.

    This was the resolution of a workshop hosted by nahco aviance for stakeholders in the agro – allied export business.

    At the workshop titled “Stakeholders’ workshop on addressing challenges in export of horticulture products from Nigeria” which took place in Lagos recently, the Executive Director of NEPC, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo said the body had to be part of the workshop in collaboration with other bodies such as nahco aviance, NAQS and Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperative because of the visit made to the firm and NAQS by the officials of the council.

    Represented by the Acting Director of Market Development, Mr. Mathew Iranloye, said the visit to firm was to acquaint the Council with the workings of the two organisations with a view to assessing how their operations could help facilitate the body’s efforts at galvanising Nigerian exporters of foods towards servicing the growing demands of European Union and The United States of America markets for fresh and processed food items from Africa.

    Also speaking in his capacity as the Acting Director of Market Development of NEPC, Iranloye reiterated the need for exporters to adhere strictly to global standards especially on packaging and labeling of their products.

    Nahco’s Business Manager, Lagos Region, Mr. Yahaya Hassan who represented nahco at the workshop said that the company has put different facilities in place such as freezers, cold rooms etc., to help facilitate the exportation of goods. He also stated that the nahco aviance’s Free Trade Zone which will soon commence operations will be an impetus to exportation of goods in the country.

    Mr. Kayode Ashafa who represented the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperative stated that the state government has been supporting and will continue to support the promotion of export. He said the state government was ready to partner with stakeholders to encourage exportation of agricultural products. He advised exporters to always follow standards in their businesses. He also thanked nahco aviance, NEPC, NAQS and Customs for putting the workIn his contribution, the Director – General, Nigerian Association of Chamber Of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Dr. John Isemede also advised exporters to imbibe the culture of proper labeling, packaging, grading and pricing. He also told the Federal Government to set up a national carrier to help facilitate the exportation of goods.

    Other people who addressed the workshop are Mrs. Evelyn Obidike, Acting Zonal Controller, NEPC Lagos and the representative of Custom Area Controller, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Mrs. Dyuran.

  • NACCIMA, others hail National Assembly over Tobacco Control Bill

    NACCIMA, others hail National Assembly over Tobacco Control Bill

    Stakeholders at the recent Tobacco Control Bill (NTCB) public hearing have hailed the Senate and the Executive arm of government for coming up with bills to regulate and control the production, manufacture, sale, advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco or tobacco products in Nigeria.

    At the public hearing, the Nigerian Association of chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), represented by one of its national officers, praised the National Assembly for sponsoring the bill.

    NACCIMA noted that the Bill would sanitise the industry.

    It urged the National Assembly to enact a producer/user-friendly legislation that would reduce the negative effects and maximise the positive effects of tobacco production and smoking in Nigeria. The association also called for its inclusion in the National Tobacco Control Committee (NATOCC).

    The Intellectual Property Law Association of Nigeria (IPLAN), represented by its president, Prof. Bankole Sodipo, urged the National Assembly to amend the bill in order to align with the constitution and international treaties to which Nigeria is a party.

    He noted that the bills, from the perspective of owners and practitioners, raised concerns on some aspects of the bill, especially on “Nigeria’s obligations under the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO’s) Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Agreement (TRIPS) and the increasing role of foreign direct investment”.

    A director at the Environmental Rights Action and Friends of the Earth (ERA), Akinbode Oluwafemi, hailed the Senate for leading the regulation of the tobacco industry.

    He said his organisation was seeking the regulation of the contents of tobacco products, their packaging and labelling.

  • NACCIMA urges timely release of 2015 budget

    The Nigerian Association of Chambers of  Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA)  has urged the executive arm of government on timely release of next year’s budget, warning that a repeat of what happened to this year’s budget would gravely hurt the economy.

    Its President, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, said there is need to start the budgeting process early enough so that it could get to the approving bodies on time.

    He said:  “Late release of budgets by the government is another challenge. The highly politicised environment in which business and economic activities are pursued, resulting in some conflicting and policy and goals that affect optimal efficiency in service delivery and advocacy pursuit needs to be addressed.

    “The timing of our budgeting such as crafting, submission to the legislators for discussion and subsequent signing into law by Mr. President, and presentation to the nation requires serious attention; a neat budget should get to the president in November while every ministry, department and agency (MDAs) should receive their release in December to enable them start implementing in the following year.”

    He said government should give serious consideration to the contributions of stakeholders in the economy such as the Organised Private Sector (OPS) and groups such as the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) and others rather than preoccupy itself with appointing individuals government committees. He said this is critical to the growth and development of the industrial sector.

    According to him,  the challenges facing the small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) could be solved if necessary infrastructures were put in place.

    Abubakar said the new SMEs industrial zones initiative of the Federal Government would go a long way in reducing the challenges facing the subsector.

    His words: “In spite of being the major driver of the economy, SMEs in Nigeria are faced with challenges such as poor or decayed infrastructural facilities (especially roads, power, and energy supply) resulting in high operation cost. This is due to huge investment in private electricity generation and transportation. Although we know the government is working very hard to solve this problem, (the impact is yet to be felt).”

    He said the worsening state of insecurity, especially the sectarian violence in the Northeast and kidnapping in the Southsouth and Southeastern parts resulting in serious threat to lives and properties as well as resurgence of armed banditry and robberies were threatening sustainable growth of the economy.

    Abubakar said the establishment of the National Council on MSMEs and the creation of SMEs industrial zones council is timely, adding that it came at the time the sector was seriously in need of government’s intervention.

    He said: “This is what we have been agitating for. With this, the government will be more sensitive to the problems of the SMEs, and with the SMEs industrial zones initiative, this will afford the operators access to basic facilities that have constituted major challenges to their operation and productivities.

    “If the government can implement it very well, it will bring about the development we want to the SMEs in the country.”

     

    “ It will also bring about the inclusiveness of the SMEs operators in the economic decision making and make a great developmental change to the sector as those directly involved in the business would be able to table their challenges before the government.

    “There is need to accelerate the completion of on-going power sector reforms so as to improve the present generating  capacity of below 4000megawatts (Mw) to 10,000Mw by December this year. There is need to put  in place an effective transportation system management by providing adequate and reliable infrastructure for road, rail, air, and waterways transportation in order to achieve supply chain efficiencies. All these should be done through effective PPP synergy for optimal result to be achieved.

    “Efficient security system that promotes business/ investment climate as well as guarantee lives and properties of the citizens should also be put in place. The PPP model could be adopted through collaboration with NACCIMA and private security agencies to achieve lasting solution to the war against crime, terrorism and other vices currently besetting our nation.”

  • NACCIMA reiterates commitment to auto policy

    NACCIMA reiterates commitment to auto policy

    The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) haspraised the Federal Government for coming up with the auto policy, which is expected to reduce importation and boost local production of motor vehicles.

    According to the association’s National President, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, the effort of government has started yielding results as assembly plants such as Innoson Motors and NISAN have begun  operations in the country to boost supply of automobiles for the citizens.

    The auto policy, according to him, in the long term will create jobs as there will be off shoot of companies to produce auto accessories like windscreen and glasses, car seats, etc. This will gradually lead to complete auto production in the country, thereby fulfilling the long term auto plan of government.  Also, learning from Nigeria’s past failure, an emphasis on developing dynamic and innovative assembly plants is the best way to ensure the industry will be sustainable. This ensures that Nigerians can purchase modern cars, which will eliminate the desire for foreign cars.

    However, to ensure that the good intention of government on the policy  will become a reality if it is well harnessed and implemented and probity brought to bear in the overall interest of all stakeholders.  NACCIMA applauded the government for the extension of the levy to next year, adding that it will no doubt, enable the assembly line to produce the right quality at the required quantity at the right time.

  • NACCIMA proposes single currency for ECOWAS

    The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA)  has called for the adoption of  the naira as the currency for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member-states.

    NACCIMA, however, said for this to happen, the naira should be revalued to be at par with the American Dollar as it was in the 80s.

    Its Director-General, Dr John Isemede, said the much-talked-about economic integration had been elusive for years because the requirements for convergence could not be met by the participating countries.

    He said: “Our import cultures have not allowed economic integration and taking orders from other people to run our own country. So, how can we achieve the economic bloc?

    “We are talking of the Common External Tariff (CET), which will take off next year; we are a sub-region and not a customs union. For us to be a customs union, incentives, value added tax (VAT), import duties, tariff and non-tariff must be the same.

    “Today, VAT in Nigeria is five per cent, Benin Republic 20 per cent; Ghana 17 per cent. So,  if we now have all these, why will the borders not be porous and smuggling not be booming because there is a big advantage of routing your goods through Nigeria at five per cent.  How can we achieve free movement of goods with the differences in VAT?”

    Isemede said if  the economy could  be develop internally like it was in the 80s, the naira could be become ECOWAS’ single currency.

    “If we can develop our economy internally as it happened in the 80s, the naira can become ECOWAS single currency. I can give you the exchange rates of the Nigerian currency for over 30 years. In 1980 , it was between 50 and 60 kobo to the U.S. Dollar.  When SAP (Structural Adjustment Programme) was introduced, it was N42 to a dollar in 1986.

    “So, all we have to do is to work on our own naira because in the past, people were traveling abroad with the naira  because it was more or less the single currency in West Africa.

    “If the value of the naira today is N50 to the US Dollar, a lot of experts in America would come back to Nigeria because the value of the currency. If you are mighty, other economies will run after you,” he said.

    According to him, Ghana Cedis and the CFA may not qualify for single currency for the sub-region because they are overvalued and have been depreciating for almost 20 years.

    He ruled out the possibility of achieving convergence.

    He said: “In fact, we cannot wait for this people because there can never be a convergence.  It can’t work. The CFA today is a member of the Euro because when France decided to surrender the French franc to Euro the CFA automatically became Euro; if you are doing business with francophone countries if you invoiced your goods in dollars and pounds, they may not pay you because their currency is not tied to dollar and pound.’’

     

     

  • NACCIMA decries loss of revenue at borders

    The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has decried  what it calls the huge loss of revenue by its members at borders.

    The chamber said it was also not happy with security at the borders, which, it claimed, has led to a 60 per cent drop in trade among Economic Community West African State (ECOWAS) member countries.

    Its Director-General, Mr. John Isemede, said if the trend was not checked, there was the tendency for the region’s economy to collapse and result in unemployment.

    “Already, the region is facing employment crisis, which if not checked, may lead to problems. There is the need for the governments of the region to tackle these challenges,” he said.

    On a common currency for the region, the NACCIMA chief said the much-talked about economic integration has been elusive for years because the requirements for the convergence couldn’t be met by the participating countries.

    He argued that the region’s import culture has not allowed economic integration to thrive.

    “We are talking of the Common External tariff which will take off next year. We are a sub-region and not a Customs union. For us to be a Customs union, incentives, VAT, import duties, tariff must be the same thing,” he said.

    He said VAT in Nigeria is five per cent, Benin Republic 20 per cent, Ghana 17 per cent and “if we now have all these, why will the borders not be porous and smuggling through because there will a big advantage of routing goods through Nigeria at five per cent. How can we achieve free movement of goods with the differences in VAT?

    “So, all we have to do is to work on our own naira because in the past people were travelling with the naira abroad because it was more or less the single currency in West Africa. If the value of the naira today is N50 to the US$, a lot of experts in America would come back to Nigeria because of the value of the currency.”

  • Stakeholders challenge govt on ports’access roads

    Stakeholders challenge govt on ports’access roads

    The National Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANCLA), the Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) other stakeholders in the maritime industry have lamented the gridlock on the Oshodi-Apapa and the Ijora-Apapa Expressways. They urged the federal and state governments to find solutions to the  problem they say is crippling their business.

    The stakeholders said some of their members have been forced to close shop due to the problem they are facing while going and coming from the ports.

    The Chairman, Export Group of NACCIMA, Mr Oluyenuwo Olabisi said the congestion and long queue of vehicles were creating  problems for his group because their containers are sometimes turned back, while most of the time they miss their ships, leading to huge losses for their members.

    He also called on the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to address the delays suffered by exporters, saying priority should be given to the exporters, as against empty containers that go into the ports.

    ANCLA’s National President, Alhaji Olayiwola Shittu also said the bad state of ports’ access roads is affecting businesses within the port.

    Shittu said the bad roads leading in and out of the port are the cause of major challenges  being experienced by stakeholders.

    He called for the reconstruction of the rail tracks in the port to ameliorate the challenges of haulage businesses and ensure prompt movement of cargoes in and out of the ports.

    The ANCLA chief lamented that some of the concessionaires do not have enough capacity for containers which is impacting negatively to the gridlock experienced in the transportation of the containers.

     

     

    The Executive Director of Administration and Human Resources of the Port and Cargo Terminal at Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, Sifax Group; Dr. Phil Ofulue said most of the haulage trucks operating at the port are too old and rickety.

    He blamed the State and Federal Government for not paying adequate attention to the roads despite several consultations from stakeholders.

    “The implication is that a trip that can cost you 10 minutes will probably take a whole day, because sometimes the trucks are rickety and are not well maintained, they are frequently breaking down, often times we have containers falling off the trucks and killing human beings”, he lamented.

    “And at a higher level, we are praying that the idea of revitalising the railways will come up because if you go into the port you will see that the rail tracks are there, they are inbuilt, they have been there right from time to be part of the port system, if the railways are revitalized and become operational, it will ease pressure”, he added.

    Ofulue expressed optimism that once the road challenges are addressed, it will improve the turn- around time of vessels at the port.

    He however also blamed the situation on the recklessness of truck drivers and lack of adherence to laid down traffic rules by other road users, especially the truck drivers and the other public transporters.

  • NACCIMA: rebased GDP figure understated

    NACCIMA: rebased GDP figure understated

    THE nation’s rebased Gross Domestic Product (GPD) figure released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is  understated. This is because about 60 per cent of transactions in the informal sector of the economy were not captured, the National President, the Nigerian Association Of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has said.

    At a forum organised by NACCIMA in Ogun State, Abubakar said given the enormity of economic activities in the country, Nigeria ought to have  become the 15th largest economy in the world if transactions in the informal sector were well captured and reflected.

    He regretted that, despite the reforms to improve economic conditions and business competiveness in the country, Nigeria still trailed smaller African countries, such as Ghana, Cameroun and Kenya, in global competiveness.

    Abubakar said: “The Global Competitiveness Report (GCR) Index 2012-2013 released by the World Economic Forum (WEF), indicated thatNigeria ranked 115th out of 144 countries assessed – behind Ghana, Kenya and Cameroun, which ranked higher at 103rd, 106th and 112th positions, respectively.

    “Only Benin Republic trailed Nigeria with a ranking of 119th, while South Africa ranked 52nd globally, making it the most competitive in Africa.  One of the hurdles Nigeria needs to scale to achieve better ranking is the poor perception of the country by Nigerians.”

    Abubakar, who spoke on the topic, “Improving Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global market: Panacea for growth and development of the non-oil export,” noted that achieving growth in the non- oil sector will  result in the establishment of border markets at some strategic locations, adequate funding of non-oil commodities, development of infrastructure, and provision of  logistics to support supply value added chain.

    He listed other fallouts from the growth in the non oil sector to include increase in dominance of primary commodities and high productive capacity, empowerment of  Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) through  entrepreneurship, development of agro-allied industries, and packaging and labelling standards of made-in Nigeria products. It will also enhance Nigeria’s comparative and competitive advantages.

    Abubakar noted that for Nigeria to remain competitive in the global market, it must keep investing in capacity building. “What is needed is new job creation with high-tech, high-value, innovative, non-commodity items, which can be made a reality through the joint efforts of governments and private sector operators in a manner that would stimulate non-oil sector activities, enhance prosperity of businesses/citizens and improve balance of payments position of the economy,” he pointed out.

    While commending the Federal Government on the successful handing over of the unbundled companies of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to private sector investors, he appealed to the government to accelerate the privatisation of the four government-owned refineries with a view to moving nearer the completion of all social infrastructures that the private sector is best placed to operate as witnessed in other countries.

    He also advised that appropriate policy framework be fashioned out to provide new operators of privatised entities a business-friendly environment to operate.

    Also speaking on the challenges of the nation’s non-oil export competitiveness, the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Olusegun Awolowo, listed infrastructural deficiency, weak logistics to supply chain, poor standardisation of products, poor labelling/packaging, inability to meet export orders, as well as high cost of production as some of the challenges affecting the nation’s competitiveness in this regard.

    Others are restricted access to credit, unwholesome trade practices such as document falsification, trade mark encroachments and counterfeiting.

    Awolowo, however, said the NEPC has had to intervene to boost the competitiveness of Nigeria’s non-oil sector through several programmes. He disclosed, for instance, that the agency regularly assists companies’ participation in trade shows/fairs, business match-making, product identification, as well as organised development  programs  and capacity building for exporters. Besides, NEPC, he said, have collaborated  with relevant local and international agencies on product quality upgrade on sesame, butter processing, cashew processing and dry fish projects.

    The NEPC boss said the agency is going ahead to activate the Export Development Fund with a view to addressing the pre-shipment incentives to SMEs, facilitate increased access to export financing  and designate export terminal at the sea ports to ease congestion. He also disclosed that the agency would review  the Export Expansion Scheme (EEG), identify international benchmarks and improve on product standardization.