Economy
AN export consultant in Jos, Mr Kola Awe, says non-oil export is the way out of the nation’s economic problem.
He said this at a workshop organised by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) for youth entrepreneurs in Plateau on Wednesday.
The event is entitled: “Export Hand-holding Programme for Youth Entrepreneurs in Plateau State”.
Awe, the resource person at the workshop, cited the current poverty level in the country, inflation rate, and the current fiscal and monetary policies as indicators of a dwindling economy.
He urged the federal government to accelerate the non-oil export sector with would focus on product development, finance and infrastructure and access to market as means of enhancing export in Nigeria.
“What the federal government of Nigeria should do is to stimulate the non-oil export sector in the area of product development, infrastructure, finance and access to market.
“These key areas should be treated as a do or die matter, because as it is in the country today, you can see what the exchange rate is doing right now.
“The only sector that has the capacity to take us out of this doldrums is the non-oil export sector, that’s the only sector.
“That’s why the Nigerian Export Promotion Council has been chanting the phrase Export for Survival,” he said.
He, therefore, called on youths to brace up to the challenges of the time and be more determined to fight their cause in terms of a better economy through export.
Similarly, Mr Samson Idowu, Regional Coordinator of NEPC, noted that Plateau “is abundantly blessed with export potential and there’s no better time than now to promote export, especially when exchange rate is skyrocketing against the naira.
“We hope that youths and other potential exporters in the Plateau will key into this renewed effort to promote exports so that we can all be better for it.
“You know, we cannot wait for a better time to promote export than now that the exchange rate is skyrocketing against the naira.
“The emphasis now is that we should export so that we can all survive; and interestingly we have a lot of abundant opportunities in the Plateau.
“We call on exporters, youths and women alike to key into these opportunities so that they can become employers of labour rather than remain job seekers,” he said.
Mrs Rahila Baba and Ebunoluwa David, both beneficiaries at the event, expressed satisfaction for the quality of expository they received from the resource person, saying that they are better equipped than they were before the workshop.
They thanked NEPC for organising the event while promising to utilise the knowledge received for the betterment of their lives and the society at large.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN reports that the event which featured several training sessions culminated into clusters of potential exporters who will be mentored by the resource person to achieve their vision in the export business.(NAN)
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Tags: Ebunoluwa David Kola Awe NEPC Rahila Baba Samson Idowu
