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  • Business - Companies
  • Updated: October 04, 2022

Exports Facilitation: SMEDAN Commences Training For 400 Entrepreneurs

Exports Facilitation: SMEDAN Commences Training For 400 Entr

On Tuesday, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) commenced a four-day training of 400 entrepreneurs on how to facilitate the exportation of their goods and services.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the programme was organised in collaboration with Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and drew participants from different businesses including food and non-food items.

Olawale Fasanya, Director-General, SMEDAN who inaugurated the training in Birnin Kebbi said it was also going on simultaneously in Enugu, Cross River and Kwara, adding that 100 entrepreneurs would be trained in each of the four states.

The D-G, who was represented by a Deputy Director in the agency, Alhaji Ado Adamu-Bello, said: “I want to use this opportunity to express my profound gratitude to the NEPC for partnering with the agency to implement this programme.

“Over the years, countries have made significant progress in lowering trade tariffs and dismantling quota systems towards enhancing the export capabilities of their enterprises.

“International trade has increased and manufacturing has become more global, with developing, emerging and transition economies connecting with international supply and value chains in terms of both their exports and imports.”

He said governments have now realised that their export economies heavily depend on efficient export processing.

“The result of the 2020 National Survey on MSMEs indicates that the MSMEs contributed 6.21 per cent to exports.

”This relatively low contribution to exports has exposed the fact that MSMEs are often faced with lots of challenges that restrict their entry into the export market.

“Not only do these challenges need to be studied in detail but a business-friendly ecosystem needs to be created in such a way that these enterprises will be able to participate in the global value chain on their own and ultimately generate economies of scale.

“Consequently, there is the crucial need for a clear understanding of export readiness status requirements, expectations for e-registration platform and other incentives to encourage export for MSMEs products and services,” Fasanya said.

He stated that the commission was strategically positioning MSMEs to take advantage of international supply and value chains.

Fasanya said that was why the agency developed the MSMEs Export Facilitation Programme to build their capacity and provide all relevant information to facilitate their effective participation in the export market.

He listed some objectives of the programme to include increasing awareness and sensitising MSMEs on the importance of enhancing exports.

Others, the D-G said, were to ensure excellent branding and packaging of products as well as services to meet both national and international standards, among others.

“In our determination to address the challenges confronting the MSMEs in Nigeria in a holistic manner, the agency is implementing the One Local Government One Product (OLOP), in the 109 senatorial districts in the country.

“This ambitious effort of the agency is based on the successful implementation of the pilot phase of the OLOP programme in Katsina, Kaduna, FCT, Osun and the Anambra States three years ago.”

 

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