An exporter; Mr Bolaji Alonge has advised the federal government to empower the Nigerian Exporter Promotion Council [NEPC] in order for exporters to get the necessary training to upgrade their various businesses.
Alonge who spoke to Shipping Position Daily in Lagos last week alleged that the government is starving the NEPC of funds, thus exporters cannot be empowered through trainings or workshops, thus the council only generates fund through issuance of license to the exporters.
An exporter; Mr Bolaji Alonge has advised the federal government to empower the Nigerian Exporter Promotion Council [NEPC] in order for exporters to get the necessary training to upgrade their various businesses.
Alonge who spoke to Shipping Position Daily in Lagos last week alleged that the government is starving the NEPC of funds, thus exporters cannot be empowered through trainings or workshops, thus the council only generates fund through issuance of license to the exporters.
According to him, the federal government needs to fund the council for it to be independent in the area capacity building, adding that training of personnel in the export sub sector will lead to wealth creation for individuals and the economy of the nation.
He said that for the NEPC to perform, government should provide funds for it to carry out research, seminars, workshops, symposiums, training of staff and exporters.
‘’If government wants to make Export Promotion Council effective, they should provide them with adequate fund to carry out research, train its staff and embark on industrial courses that can meet with international standard and let there be bonded warehouse that can be controlled by Nigeria Export Promotion Council’’, he said.
Alonge also charged the ministry of trade and investment to look inward to ensuring that the council is well funded in order to train exporters.
He said training of exporters in areas where they might be lacking will create an enabling environment to boost international trade, noting that most exporters are not aware of the terms of international trade.
‘’Government needs to empower the NEPC because we discover that in Nigeria, the informal exporters are more than the formal exporters, there is no proper orientation, no proper workshop and no proper summit for the exporters and the government does not know what the exporters are facing but the agency that is close to us needs to be funded so that it can give us the right training for us to develop ’’, he stated.
‘’At least once in a quarter, there should be seminars , workshops and research work to be carried out by the NEPC for the exporters so that we can exchange views and the problem we are facing as exporters, but we don’t have that on ground and that is why the government need to fund the council to encourage international trade.’’
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