The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) launched the Export Mentorship Programme (EMP) on Tuesday in Abuja in a bid to build more capacity for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that are new in the export business in Nigeria.
At the launch of the EMP, the Executive Director of NEPC, Mrs Nonte Ayeni, explained that “the Export Mentorship Programme is a well-thought-out strategy where budding exporters are attached to established manufacturing exporters for an agreed period, for the purpose of learning the rudiments of non-oil export business.
“The idea of EMP was born out of the dire need to enhance the performance of Nigeria’s non-oil export sector through the provision of a veritable platform for the learning, unlearning, and relearning of new exporters from the established ones in a practical manner.
“Today’s program—the launch of the Export Mentorship Programme—is yet another proactive step at ensuring that skill gaps and other various obstacles affecting export performance, especially for newly registered exporters, are reduced to the barest minimum.
‘EMP is unique because it adopts a practical hands-on approach whereby willing mentees are attached to performing exporters for tutelage on the entire process of non-oil export business”.
She further stated that “the Council’s decision to adopt the EMP strategy for raising a new crop of skilled exporters is based on global statistics, which show that less than 10% of beginner exporters can successfully transition from prospective to performing exporters within their first 3–5 years of establishment.
“The reasons for failure to survive the early stage of business formation were largely attributed to the inability of the beginners to master the complex terrain of export business,” Ayeni said.
In his welcome address, the Director, Trade Information of the Council, Dr. Joe Itah, explained that the pilot phase of EMP had 20 mentees under the tutelage of 5 mentors.
He said that about 15 mentees successfully completed their training and will be awarded certificates.
A representative of one of the mentors, Valency Agro Nigeria Ltd., Trolochan Ojha, commended the initiative and expressed willingness to train more young hands for the growth of the sector.
A Mentee, Baba Ransom Adamu of Za & Raglobal Systems Ltd., said the programme has prepared him for success in non-oil exports.
All 15 participants who successfully completed the programme in the piloting phase were presented with certificates.
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