The
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Export Promotion
Council, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo, has said Nigeria will soon take a
decision about stopping the export of raw materials.
According to him, the decision will
increase the ability of Nigerian manufacturers to export processed goods
to other West African countries and to dominate the West African
market, which is especially important at the moment.
Awolowo said this while speaking at the
NEPC’s one-day capacity building workshop themed, ‘Strategies for
perpetrating West African market’ on Thursday.
He said the decision would be considered
extremely important as Nigeria sought to improve market access and make
inroad to the heart of economic growth and development in the West
African market.
He said, “In the export Market, what we
are looking into now is that we want to stop exporting raw materials
because you don’t create a value chain with raw materials.
“But when we stop exporting raw
materials, and start processing, producing, manufacturing here (in
Nigeria) and we start taking it abroad, we would start a Nigeria brand
based on qualities and we can dominate the ECOWAS countries.”
Awolowo gave the assurance that with the
over $28bn worth of investment coming to Africa, Nigeria has what it
takes to become a manufacturing hub and claim a place among the top
global economies.
“With over $28bn worth of investment
coming to Africa, Nigeria has the opportunity, with our large market and
access to the West Africa region, to harness the greater percentage of
those investments,” he said.
Also, the Director-General, Lagos
Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Muda Yusuf, said the workshop was
aimed at creating awareness for the Nigerian exporters on the need for
products exported to be of high standards in order for Nigeria to
achieve its potentials of becoming the biggest exporter in West Africa.
“The whole idea is to see how we can give
an insight into what, industrially, the exporter can do to improve
competitively in the export market,” he said.
source@punchng.com