Get Guardian on GoogleThe Oyo State Government, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), the Nigeria Customs Service and Impact Hub Ibadan have called on women entrepreneurs and small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) to strengthen their export capacity, meet international standards and take advantage of opportunities in regional and global markets.
They made the call at a Women Export Readiness and Market Intelligence Workshop in Ibadan, organised by NEPC in collaboration with Impact Hub Ibadan where government officials and industry experts identified access to market intelligence, quality products, adequate documentation, training and institutional support as critical to improving the competitiveness of Nigerian businesses.
The Chief Executive Officer of NEPC, Mrs Nonye Ayeni, represented by Dr Leticia Ifeyinwa Onu, urged women entrepreneurs to leverage opportunities provided by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), digital technologies and e-commerce platforms to expand their businesses beyond Nigeria.
Ayeni said small businesses operating in agriculture, food processing, fashion, cosmetics, creative industries, manufacturing and technology had significant potential to contribute to the country’s non-oil export growth and economic transformation.
She, however, identified limited market information, inadequate access to finance, regulatory compliance, quality standards and logistics constraints as challenges confronting SMEs seeking to enter international markets.
She stressed that export opportunities must be matched with adequate preparation, noting that businesses needed to understand buyers’ requirements, meet international quality and safety standards, maintain consistent production and build reliable supply chains.
The NEPC chief executive described market intelligence as essential for identifying customer needs, assessing demand, understanding competitors and responding to changing consumer trends.
Also speaking, the Assistant Comptroller of Customs and Acting Deputy Comptroller, Revenue, Oyo/Osun Area Command, Ibadan, Daniel Nwosu, urged exporters and their agents to comply with prescribed documentation requirements to ensure smooth transactions and avoid regulatory sanctions.
Nwosu listed the required documents to include the Single Goods Declaration (SGD) Form C2010, NEPC certificate, Nigeria Export Proceeds (NXP) form, Clean Certificate of Inspection (CCI), Request for Information (RFI) and Non-Commercial Export (NCX) form.
Other requirements, he said, included certificates from relevant regulatory agencies such as the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, as well as shipping documents, bills of lading, bills of exit and attested final invoices.
He added that exporters whose consignments were destined for Europe were required to submit the EUR 1 certificate to access applicable trade incentives under the European Union’s preferential trade arrangements.
The Customs officer also identified items prohibited from export, including maize, unprocessed rubber latex and lumps, rough and sawn timber, scrap metals, artefacts and antiquities, endangered wildlife and their products, as well as raw hides and skins.
He explained that the restrictions were designed to protect local industries, create employment, prevent shortages of essential commodities and support the country’s foreign policy objectives.
Nwosu also warned that exporters must repatriate proceeds from oil exports within 90 days and non-oil exports within 180 days, adding that failure to comply could attract foreign exchange restrictions and blacklisting from export transactions.
He identified poor infrastructure, inconsistent government policies, limited access to bank credit and inadequate access to foreign markets as major obstacles to the success of export promotion schemes.
In his remarks, the Principal Commercial Officer in the Oyo State Ministry of Investment, Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Saheed Giwa, said the state government was strengthening its support for exporters and creating an enabling environment for businesses to compete internationally.
Giwa, who represented the Commissioner for Investment, Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Saliu Adelabu, said Governor Seyi Makinde had supported the establishment of an export department in the ministry to coordinate and strengthen export-related activities.
He also disclosed that the ministry was working on a proposal for a trade mission involving 20 SMEs to China to enable participating businesses to source equipment and materials, acquire technical knowledge and learn improved production techniques.
According to him, the proposed mission would include assistance with visa processing to facilitate the participation of the selected businesses.
Giwa said the governor had also announced that Oyo State ranked third among the 36 states in the country in ease of doing business, adding that the government would continue to promote investment and support local enterprises.
The NEPC representative in Oyo State’s Trade Information Department, Tayo Adetola, urged women entrepreneurs to prioritise product quality, attractive packaging and effective branding to gain the confidence of international buyers.
She said packaging should reflect the nature and quality of products, describing it as an investment in a business’s reputation rather than an unnecessary expense.
Adetola added that appropriate packaging could strengthen brand identity, improve consumer confidence and ensure efficient logistics, urging entrepreneurs to understand buyers’ preferences and target-market requirements.
Also, the Chief Executive Officer of Impact Hub Ibadan, Adebayo Olubobokun, urged entrepreneurs to seek training, professional guidance and institutional support to overcome operational challenges and expand their businesses.
Olubobokun, who said he had been involved in export business for nine years, noted that continuous learning was necessary for entrepreneurs to improve their operations and remain competitive.
He disclosed that Impact Hub had packaged training programmes, access to resources and free consultations to help business owners bridge the gap between their current operations and their desired business goals.
On her part, the Chief Trade Officer of Impact Hub Ibadan, Helen Oduyemi, called for collective efforts among the government, private sector organisations and entrepreneurs to promote business development.
Oduyemi thanked Governor Makinde for recognising the initiative and stressed that collaboration was necessary to empower entrepreneurs and expand economic opportunities.
“We can do this as a community. We can get there together,” she said.
