NEPC Task Exporters to Leverage e-Commerce to Boost Non-oil Exports

Gilbert Ekugbe
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has charged exporters to take advantage of e-commerce to boost Nigeria’s non-oil export sector.

The Regional Coordinator, South West, NEPC, Mr. Samuel Oyeyipo, explained that the pandemic has necessitated exporters to think out of the box to ensure continuity in their businesses, maintaining that embracing e-commerce would give Nigeria’s non-oil exporters the leeway to access global markets.

Oyeyipo at a sensitisation workshop on, “Earn dollars by selling on Amazon,” organised by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council in Lagos, said the workshop is aimed at enabling participants’ access information needed to enhance the quality of their products and make them suitable for the international market and placement on Amazon platform.

He added that the scheme is critical as it would afford NEPC all the opportunity to exchange ideas as well as map out strategies and methodologies that would provide necessary information on production of more products and create access to the export market.

“These responsibilities we must take with all seriousness they deserve. The workshop is therefore designed to be participatory in nature as it would enable us share our field experiences with a view to enriching our knowledge on product development and conditionality for earning dollars through selling on Amazon platform,” he said.

He added” In addition, the importance of this gathering is underscored by the fact that some of you as managers in your company are saddled with the responsibility of generating information that could be used for planning and access to the foreign market.”

Also speaking, the Managing Director, Export and Sell in United State of America (USA), Udeh Nduka, stated that Nigeria is yet to explore the Africa Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) to its fullest potential with regards to non-oil export.
According to him, the AGOA, which has been extended to 2025 is only being exploited effectively by Uganda and Kenya.
“I will not say we have not utilised it, but we have not utilised it to the level we ought to, but when you look at statistics, Nigeria is one of the country doing the most under AGOA because of petroleum, but when we look at the non-oil, we have not done much. We have countries like Uganda, Kenya doing amazing things with respect to non-oil under AGOA, but we are looking to change all that,” he said.

Reacting to rejection of Nigerian products at the international market, Nduka said most exporters do not know the requirements and lack the ability to configure their products to meet international requirements.

“This is one of the things we do at Export and Sell in USA. If you bring a product that you want to export, we make sure that the product meets the specifications. We do not want exporters spending their hard earned money on exporting and at the end of the day,get their products rejected. This is the worst thing that can happen to any business. It is not that these countries are rejecting our products based on standards, it is we back home that are not doing our home work to know the requirements for exports,” he said.

“We are teaching about a 100 businesses how to prepare to get their products ready most especially how to put it on Amazon and earn dollars. A lot of Nigerians have tried doing this but it came with lots of challenges, but we have simplified this process. We have people who are now trading crayfish, palm oil and honey earning over $2000 every month selling these products that make from the back of their houses on Amazon. So this is what this training is all about showing people how to achieve that dollar earning potential irrespective of the size of their business,” he noted.

APM Terminals Apapa honours employees on Global Safety Day
Nigeria’s leading container terminal operator, APM Terminals Apapa has marked its 2021 Annual Global Safety Day, with over 60 employees and contractor staff with outstanding safety records recognized during an onsite event in front of colleagues and invited dignitaries.

The event themed, “Leading with Care,” had in attendance the Port Manager of Lagos Port Complex Apapa, Mrs Olufunmilayo Olotu; Controller, Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Yusuf Ibrahim Malanta, and other invited guests.
Terminal Manager, APM Terminals Apapa, Steen Knudsen, said in his welcome address that while the management staff have more influence over work design control, the colleagues at the quayside, yard, workshop and other units “are the experts and it is crucial that we all listen and learn from these colleagues with the highest potential for injury”.
Steen said safety is a joint effort “no matter where you sit in the organization”.