The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has advised Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to embrace modern packaging of their products to make the required impact on both domestic and international markets. The executive director of NEPC, Segun Awolowo, gave the advice at the Capacity Building programme for SMEs held in Marian Hotel, Calabar.
The programme had the theme, “Strengthening Technological Skills of SMEs to Produce for Export.” Awolowo, who was represented by Emmanuel Mathew assistant director project development department of NEPC said that the production of agricultural products had gone beyond mere assembling of the products.
He said that SMEs are recognised globally as instruments for economic growth, development, and poverty reduction and provides employment to a large number of citizens in a given economy. In his welcome address, the Trade Promotion Advisor Calabar Smart Office, Emmanuel Etim said the NEPC has repositioned its service to aggressively harness, develop, process, and package these identified agro and allied products using affordable and efficient locally fabricated equipment for meaningful non-oil export.
“The workshop will ultimately equip our producers with tools and skill needed to identify and utilise the right technology.” Earlier, the Cross River State commissioner for Commerce RoseMary Archibong while declaring the workshop open urged participants to take the workshop seriously as agriculture according to her remains the only viable option to the loss of the State oil wells.
