Over 4,000 Nigerians and businesses have benefitted from the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC)’s special purpose vehicle (SPV) and export expansion facility programme over the last 12 months.
Speaking during the NEPC-EEFP stakeholders’ interactive session in Abuja, the export council executive director, Dr. Ezra Yakusak, said the SPV launched in 2021 has benefitted thousands of Nigerians.
Giving a breakdown of the figures, Yakusak said 281 companies benefited from the COVID-19 grant relief, 1105 companies benefitted from the EDF, 84 women-owned businesses benefitted from various grants, 100 youths and women trained in high-in-demand cloud engineering skills etc.
He cited other interventions under the EEFP programme to include 2000 farmers trained in good agricultural practices and food safety standards, 500 women trained in exporting procedures and undergoing mentorship and handholding with experts, support of 13 common facility and human capital development centres, support of 8 domestic export warehouses and establishment of 5 cold storage facilities among others.
“By its statutory mandate, NEPC is the lead agency for the promotion of export programmes and harmonisation of export development activities in the country. We have driven this mandate over the past 45 years through national activities and collaboration with international trade agencies.
“Under the auspices of the Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan of the Federal Government, led by the vice-president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the EEFP has afforded the NEPC additional capacity to support existing and aspiring exporters, while executing programmes that will have a lasting impact has been made in the non-oil export sector,” he stated.
He added that the NEPC will continue to monitor, supervise, evaluate and implement outstanding aspects of the EEFP programme in line with its core objectives of driving sustainable growth of Nigeria’s non-oil exports, leveraging on its six regional and 30 smart offices across the federation.
