The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has taken significant steps to enhance the capabilities of local exporters through a five-day training program focused on business generation methodology and trade promotion. This initiative was organized under the West Africa Competitiveness Programme, which is financed by the European Union through the 11th European Development Fund. The program was facilitated by the International Trade Centre and the ECOWAS Commission.
Dr. Ezra Yakusak, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NEPC, as well as the President of the ECOWAS Trade Promotion Organisations Network, expressed his gratitude to the strategic partners involved in facilitating the training. He highlighted that the recent Annual General Meeting of the ECOWAS TPO Network adopted a common action plan aimed at supporting trade development in the region and beyond. This decision underscored the necessity of training and retraining staff from various TPO member states to enhance their trade skills, ultimately improving trade within the sub-region.
Dr. Yakusak stated, “The training is aimed at strengthening our capacities in terms of ‘Business Generation Methodology and Business Promotion.’” He noted that a previous training session, which focused on ‘Result Based Management Oriented Project Cycle Management,’ had a tremendous impact on enhancing participants’ performance and upskilling the capabilities of other staff and businesses through knowledge transfer and coaching techniques. He congratulated the participants for the opportunity to build their skills and acquire the knowledge necessary to support export-ready companies in optimizing their participation in trade promotion events. The training also equipped them with relevant tools to develop supply and demand surveys, as well as to implement and effectively monitor and evaluate promotional service efforts.
Yakusak emphasized the importance of expediting regional trade flow by addressing existing gaps and encouraging greater participation of regional businesses across production lines. He asserted that the region possesses the resources needed to substitute imported inputs with locally sourced raw materials and components, which is essential for increasing intra-African trade.
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