The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has urged Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to expand their export business, saying the agreement holds the potential to drive unprecedented economic growth.

The Executive Director of NEPC, Mrs Nonye Ayeni, made the call during a one-day workshop on positioning SMEs to leverage AfCFTA, held in Akure, the Ondo State capital. She said the development would not only add value to local products and services but also reduce overdependence on imports.

Ayeni, who was represented, said embracing AfCFTA would also increase healthy competitiveness through improved processing, packaging, and branding—factors she noted would boost local production.

She stated that the workshop, themed “Positioning of SMEs to Leverage on AfCFTA”, was designed to equip exporters with the necessary knowledge and guidance to access business expansion opportunities and learn from a wider community of exporters.

“The essence of this programme is to sensitize exporters in Ondo State and its environs on the need to prepare themselves, and we as a council have the statutory mandate to position them to take advantage of this trade agreement.

“The AfCFTA agreement made the easy movement of people and goods across the African continent with lesser barriers in terms of tariffs because with AfCFTA, there’s less tariff to be paid or no tariff in some instances.

“We are also putting them in conditions to know the criteria that is necessary for export to meet for Africa, Asia, and Europe. There are some criteria they need to meet in terms of how they prepare their products, standardization, quality, marketing, and even finance.

“Those are the kinds of programmes we’ve been able to package for exporters in Ondo State to benefit from.”

Speaking further on the benefits of the initiative, she said:“With AfCFTA, Nigeria will be able to have a larger market for them to be able to export Nigerian products and in doing this, local industries will come up and a lot of jobs will be created. So there’s a lot of potential for Nigeria and benefit for Nigeria to key into AfCFTA.”

The NEPC State Coordinator, Mrs Iyabode Abe, explained that the workshop was also intended to provide a comprehensive overview of AfCFTA and expose SMEs to the guidelines for import and export processes within one of the world’s emerging largest markets — Africa.

Abe said, “Understanding the procedures, regulations, and compliance requirements of the AfCFTA are crucial for any exporter seeking to enter or expand their market share within Africa.

“It is, therefore, essential that we equip ourselves with the necessary knowledge and insights to ensure smooth and successful trade operations.

“This workshop aims to demystify the AfCFTA processes and provide you with practical guidance on how to meet the requirements for exporting.

“We will explore the key regulations, documentation, and procedures that Nigerian exporters must adhere to in order to gain market access and thrive in this competitive environment.”

One of the participants, Babatunde Fatimero, thanked NEPC and the Federal Government for the initiative and the opportunity to understand the wider African trade environment.

“We just want to thank them and appeal to them not to leave us alone, but to continue guiding and encouraging us to key into this great initiative,” he said.

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