NEPC: Export Trade Houses Will Boost Non-oil Market Share

James Emejo in Abuja

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has said that the adoption of Export Trade House (ETHs) will further drive the country’s non-oil export, increase market share and take maximum benefit of the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement (AfCFTA).

As a result, the Executive Director/ Chief Executive, NEPC, Dr. Ezra Yakusak, said the council intended to establish the ETHs in different centers around the world including Cairo, Egypt, Nairobi, Kenya and Johannesburg, South Africa.

Others are Hunan, China, Ottawa, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Lome, Togo.

Yakusak , during the advocacy programme on Export Trade House, which was organised by the council, said these trade houses are to cover export activities in the various regions of the world being targeted by Nigeria.

He said to this effect, the Export Trade House had been launched on March 21, 2022 in Sadat City in Cairo, Egypt adding that it is “expected to improve value addition on our export of products through cleaning, processing distribution and marketing”.

“This in turn will lead to economies of scale, international foothold in finding new customers and managing currency risks,” the NEPC boss stated.

He said the objectives of the trade houses are to enhance the visibility of made-in-Nigeria products outside the Nigerian shores, reduce the cost of logistics on the Nigerian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs, increase Nigeria share in the targeted markets, create employment for our teeming youths and to increase foreign exchange inflow into the Nigerian economy.

According to him, these would give an exporter an advantage over his counterparts.

Yakusak, further pointed out that, “It is therefore on the basis of the launch of the Cairo Export Trade House, that the Council is today organizing this advocacy programme to sensitize all relevant stakeholders on the existence of that facility.

He said: “The main objective is to sensitise the Nigerian business community on how they can leverage on the Export Trade House platform to enhance exports from Nigeria. We at NEPC firmly believe that our survival as a nation depends on non-oil.”