The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) geared towards facilitating the first West African MSME (WAMSME) Export Opportunities Exhibition.
Speaking at the MOU signing in Abuja, the Executive Director of NEPC, Dr Ezra Yakusak, said the collaboration was aimed at enhancing the visibility of Made-in-Nigeria goods and services within West Africa.
Yakusak said, “In recent times, NEPC has made genuine effort towards collaborating with relevant agencies, international development partners, the Organised Private Sector (OPS) in setting up the Nigerian trade houses in strategic locations outside the Nigerian shores to enhance the visibility of Made-in-Nigeria products and increase our global market share because there is no auspicious time than now to aggressively promote the non-oil sector more as a way of salvaging our nation’s ailing economy.”
He added that Gambia would be the first country both agencies would visit with Nigerian exporters to facilitate the exhibition of their products in view of the take-off of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.
Also speaking, the DG of SMEDAN, Mr Wale Fasanya, said the collaboration which was the first of its kind had the vision of going beyond the West African market to infiltrate the global market.
He said, “As an agency that facilitates the development of MSMEs in Nigeria, we will ensure the implementation of this MOU in driving export of made in Nigerian goods by supporting them with the necessary information and logistics they require.”
