The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has tasked Nigerian manufacturers to seek information on how to enhance the export potentials of their products.
Head of Product and Marketing Department of NEPC, Ogun State office, Hadiza Kashiat, gave the charge at a Strategic Focus Group meeting organised by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) on made-in-Nigeria products in Abeokuta.
She said one of the major problems confronting Nigerian manufacturers in exporting their goods was their inability to seek information on the procedures they should follow on export market.
“Many manufacturers do not seek information on what they need to export their products. In most cases, if we give publications on these requirements, most Nigerians will not read them. It is not enough for us to complain. We need to make use of information made available to us,” she stated.
Kashiat urged Nigerians to change their perception about Nigeria-made-product. She argued that most of the locally made products being rejected by Nigerians are more durable and of better quality than imported products, adding that the nation’s economy will not grow if Nigerians continue to reject them.
She said: “As Nigerians, we have to change our perception about a lot of things. We need to look inward and see that this is our country. A lot of made-in-Nigeria products are good. Many products are going out of this country and are being rebranded when they get to other countries.
“For instance, Nigerian lubricant is one of the best in the world. We have ginger and palm oil. Malaysia still comes to Nigeria to export palm oil. If we continue to reject our own products, then how do we grow our economy?”
In his remarks, NASENI team leader at the event, Mr. Babajide Soyya, said that the low demand for made-in-Nigeria products was not only affecting the economy but also leading to unemployment, as jobs are being exported to other countries that produce goods imported into the country.
He said NASENI is engaging stakeholders to gather insights on how to effectively promote and encourage the use of Nigerian products and services.
To achieve this goal, he said NASENI is collaborating with various industries and empowering skilled labor, adding that the agency is also visiting firms and signing Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with industries to strengthen local manufacturing and drive technological innovation.
“NASENI is engaging focus groups to gather information from stakeholders on how we can come in properly to promote and encourage the use of our products and services. We are collaborating with various industries and empowering skilled labor to drive technological innovation and boost local production,” he added.
The meeting with the theme, ‘Made in Nigeria for Everyone’, focused on challenges confronting manufacturing in Nigeria and suggestions of solutions, and it was the fourth in the series, having earlier taken place in Lagos, Kano and Kaduna States.
Various stakeholders were in attendance including manufacturers, representatives of Nigeria Association of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Ogun State Chamber of Commerce, Mines and Agriculture (OGCCIMA), Small, Medium Enterprise Development of Nigeria (SMEDAN), National Association of Small Scale Industry (NASENI), Faculty of Engineering of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAB) among others.
