The Nigerian Export Promotion Council NEPC has mobilised 75 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises MSMEs owners in Sokoto on benefits of Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement AfCFTA for enhanced exports.
The Executive Director of NEPC, Olusegun Awolowo, stated this during a workshop on today in Sokoto.
The workshop is titled: ”Export Competency Development Programme to Enhance MSMEs Success in ECOWAS and AfCFTA”.
Awolowo, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Policy and Strategy, Akintunde Folorunso, underscored the importance of utilising trade opportunities through AfCFTA for maximum businesses growth.
He said the country’s business treaties which were ECOWAS Trade Liberation Scheme ETLS and AfCFTA have opened up exporters’ doors to the world’s largest market as recognised by the World Trade Organisation WTO.
He said the ECOWAS trade liberation scheme, is aimed at expanding the volume of intra-community trade in the sub region through the removal of both tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade on products originating from ECOWAS countries.
The Executive Director urged all exporters to diversify their export base by exporting more of value added products, so as to penetrate the free trade areas across Africa.
He added that NEPC with its mandate on promoting non-oil export, will ensure that nation’s exporters were fully armed with necessary skills and requirements to be able to operate in market.
