NEPC trains 500 women on border trade in Cross River

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) an agency established to promote non-oil exports from Nigeria has trained five hundred women on border trade as it has become increasingly recognized. In a key note addressed by the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of NEPC, Olusegun Awolowo, at the round table discussion held in Calabar, noted that the program was necessary for the nation’s economic growth.

Awolowo, who was represented by the Head, National Export Office, Veronica Oriere disclosed that, last year, the council undertook survey of border markets and international loading points across the six geo-political zones, discovered that on a daily basis, goods worth billions of naira left the shore of Nigeria into neighboring countries.

Oriere who presented a paper, Mainstreaming informal exporters and maximizing the gains of women, explained that, despite the challenges, there are endless prospects for women in international and border markets such as, Export Expansion Grant, Export Development Grant, Export Development Fund, Nexim Loan and training by NEPC. She highlighted some challenges faced by Nigerian exporters including cost of doing business in Nigeria, Economic Instability and uncertainty, multiple taxes and levies, Finance price fluctuation, Knowledge/gab, International Credit and risk and understanding incoterms, amongst others.

Trade Promotion Advisor, NEPC Calabar, Emmanuel Etim said it is important to adequately sensitize the women to consciously embrace the bold vision of aggressively transforming the trans-border trade activities along the Ikom, Bakassi, Obanliku, Cameroun trade routes in the state into viable formal export trade ventures.