Include export as integral course in nation’s educational curriculum ― Experts

Stakeholders in the export business in Nigeria has called on the Federal Government to include export as an integral course in the nation’s educational curriculum to boost non-oil export business.

Speaking at a one-day workshop for stakeholders in export business, titled, Zero to export clinic programme organized by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) in Ilorin, on Thursday, the industry experts in the export business said that most exporters in the country entered into the business by accident.

One of the resource persons, Barrister Kola Awe, an export and logistics management consultant, said there is little or no attraction or knowledge in our educational curriculum that relates to export and logistics.

“There’s little or no attraction or knowledge in our educational curriculum that relates to export. Almost everyone who is an exporter today entered by accident or by chance. The best you get about export is in Commerce or Economics. It’s necessary to create a curriculum that would make export an integral part of our educational system. The export sector has not been well developed or given due attention by the Federal Government.

“You recall that the NEPC and the NNPC were established almost two years apart from each other. But if you look at the economic strides made by the NNPC, you can’t consider the same with the NEPC. Not until recently when we started having issues in the oil and gas industry and the shift is just coming into non-oil export. If that same attention being given now had been 15 or 20 years ago, we would have gotten to a point where we overcome the petty challenges in export. For instance, such challenges in logistics, infrastructure or quality. We would have been able to have seamless and structured export processes and procedures in Nigeria.

“So, I come up with the suggestion that we still need to have export as an integral course in our educational curriculum”, he said.

Also speaking, the executive director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NEPC, Mr Olusegun Awolowo, said the programme was conceived to attend to specific knowledge needs of intending and existing exporters.

Mr Awolowo, who said that the programme has since its inception, been employed by the council as a veritable tool to introduce companies, individuals and firms to the intricacies of export business, added that it was in view of its unique qualities of adopting both classroom and field exercises to cater to the identified knowledge gaps of its beneficiaries who may not have had any previous experience in export business.

“The Council has recognised the fact that many companies desired to go into the export business but lack the capacity,
competencies and skill to undertake the venture successfully. This explains why we have painstakingly designed and invested in worthy knowledge-driven programmes such as the “Zero to Export Clinic” that would help turn out qualitative exporters and position them for the task of growing non-oil export revenue.

“I am very much aware of the high premium placed by the present Government on economic diversification especially in this critical period of post-Covid-19 era where nations are seeking sustainable measure to recover from the losses occasioned by the pandemic.

“NEPC as the lead Federal Government Agency for the promotion of non-oil export is committed to taking the lead and
championing this course towards economic recovery. We are deeply committed to developing export-oriented MSMEs and promoting their participation in active export business. We have supported over 2,000 MSMEs through various export intervention measures with support from workable collaborations with International Trade Agencies to address technical trade barriers and increase the competitiveness of Nigerian exporters.”

The commissioner for Business, Innovation and Technology in Kwara state, Hajia Fatimo Lawal, said that the state is fully prepared towards diversification to the non-oil export value chain.

“Kwara State is known as one of the Industrial Centres of the country with lots of food processing Industries in Nigeria. There is no gainsaying the fact that Kwara State has a great potential for non-oil export commodity products ranging from Rice, Soya beans, Cashew nuts, Shea nut/butter Melon, Cassava to solid minerals which are available in the state for exploitation and export.”

The stakeholders were taken through the knowledge process in export, the need to be honest, transparent as well as the need for product planning, logistics, inherent risks, and product quality.

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Include export as integral course in nation’s educational curriculum ― Experts