The World Trade Centre, Abuja, has expressed concern that despite Nigeria accounting for over 70 per cent of global yam production, its export rate remains at just 11 per cent.
The Head of Trade Services, Mr David Oke, speaking at the sixth edition of LinkedIn Local Abuja on Thursday, encouraged young entrepreneurs to leverage Nigeria’s yam export potential.
The theme of the sixth edition focused on ‘Multidimensional Intelligence for Career Prosperity.’
Oke, speaking on business intelligence, urged young people to conduct thorough research and seize available opportunities to build sustainable wealth, noting that government alone cannot solve all challenges.
“So how can we begin to leverage that (yam production) if we are producing that much?
“Can we export more? Can we get people from Benue and other yam-producing states to package it for the export market?
“Can we fix our standardisation problem? The same issue applies to fish, vegetables, sesame seeds, and many other products that can drive national development,” he said.
He noted that the Nigerian diaspora community is rapidly growing, making the country’s food and fashion more familiar to people in Australia, London, and other parts of the world.
According to him, Africa is the next frontier for global trade, and Nigeria must leverage its human capital by engaging young people in international trade.
The government, he said, has various programmes and policies, such as the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) protocols, that youths can utilise for trade.
In his remarks, the convener of the event, Mr Fife Banks, described the programme as a platform for professional networking and learning experiences to boost careers and businesses.
Banks said the topics discussed — including emotional, artificial, business, financial, and spiritual intelligence—were selected for their importance in helping professionals and leaders excel.
“We realised that it’s crucial to acquire and apply knowledge.
“LinkedIn Local Abuja has become the city’s biggest professional networking event, creating opportunities for people to connect.
“To network, make deals happen, forge meaningful connections, advance careers, and thrive in business,” he said.
According to him, Nigerian entrepreneurs and professionals need more collaboration to achieve greater results in their businesses, despite industry competitiveness.
“Imagine if every Nigerian innovation received nationwide online support. Consider the global impact that could have,” he said.
Speaking on emotional intelligence, Dr Elsie Nemieboka, a Human Resources Specialist and Psychologist, highlighted the need for mental toughness in workplaces to help workers navigate organisational politics.
Nemieboka explained that mental toughness involves persistence and determination, regardless of obstacles, to achieve set goals, even when efforts go unrecognised.
