Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Dr. Ezra Yakusak, has stated that Nigeria generated $2.5 billion in non-oil export revenue from January to June 2022.
Yakusak, who revealed this on Friday in Abuja at a media briefing in advance of the upcoming NEPC Export Week, noted that the figure is the highest in the last four years.
He explained that Nigeria must embrace non-oil exports in order to ensure the country’s economic development.
He said: “We want Nigerians to step into the reality that the only way to guarantee our economic survival is through non-oil export.
“The conference provided a veritable platform for stakeholders in the non-oil export sector to ventilate ideas on current and emerging issues affecting the non-oil export sector.
Commenting on the inaugural NEPC Export Week, which will take place from November 21 to 26, 2022, he stated that the event is being organised in accordance with “the current management’s strategic efforts of imbibing, sustaining, and deepening an export culture in the non-oil export ecosystem.”
He continued, “The objective is to keep the “Export4Survival” campaign on the front burner of national discourse using Export Week as a strategic information and communication tool to change the narratives.
“We envisage that the Export Week will provide a path for business and sector-led activities to thrive as well as help entrepreneurs particularly SMEs look out for new opportunities in the sector.
“Therefore, it is vital for these businesses to have the support and information they need to become successful.”
When asked what is being done to end the rejection of Nigerian produce in the international market, Yakusak added that a technical committee as well as an implementation committee have been formed to address the issue.
He further identified lack of adequate produce documentation, a failure to comply with export rules, a huge level of pesticides used in produce preservation, and poor packaging.
