NON OIL EXPORT WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS` COMMENTS - 3 VIDEO CLIPS
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Post by Trade Coach on Aug 6, 2021 22:35:17 GMT 1
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) About To Launch Tertiary Institutions’ Entrepreneurship Scheme in Nigeria
The Governor of The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr. Godwin Emefiele, has announced that the apex bank is developing a Tertiary Institutions’ Entrepreneurship Scheme (TIES) in Nigeria.
He said “An estimated 600, 000 graduates from our tertiary institutions enter the labour market annually, after participating in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme, seeking the already thinned out white collar jobs.
This has contributed significantly to the rising youth unemployment across the country”.
The institution will train and finance entrepreneurship ideas of Nigerian university graduates. Good project, when operational the project will definitely help in bringing the entrepreneurship ideas of our young graduates to bear on our ailing economy.
This information was disclosed by the CBN Governor at a conference of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, held at the Kano State University of Science and Technology (KUST).
The CBN Governor who was represented by Dr. Adebowale Olabimtan-Idowu, CBN Deputy Director of Development Finance urged the need to re-orientate the youths from waiting for white collar jobs to entrepreneurship.
He said that the scheme would be developed to support the development of entrepreneurial culture, through the introduction of seamless access to affordable finance for graduates, and create employment opportunities for Nigerian youths.
The Governor added that “Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) portend great opportunities for addressing these gaps and accelerating economic growth by leveraging our vibrant youth”.
“The scheme is designed to support the development of entrepreneurial mindsets and culture through the introduction of a platform that provides seamless access to affordable finance to graduates through innovative channels for participation.
“The proposed scheme will be targeted at graduates of tertiary institutions, including universities, polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges,” the CBN governor revealed.
You can also recall that in June 2019 that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) promised to offer loans to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members for a 7-year tenor. The loan was intended to be used in establishing small and medium scale enterprises.
This information was disclosed then by the Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, in his office while receiving the Director-General of NYSC, Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim in Abuja.
The CBN Governor added that the loans would be disbursed to the corps members to provide the needed support for the rent of business offices or workshops and also for acquiring working tools.
“The Central Bank of Nigeria has expressed willingness to provide further opportunities of self-employment for corps members through its skill acquisition training. The CBN Governor explained that upon completion of the training, beneficiaries would get the cumulative value which represents a loan that would be repaid within seven years with a two-year moratorium.”
The CBN Governor further revealed that an entrepreneurial programme “Youth Entrepreneurship Development Program (YEDP)” was launched by the bank in 2016, and served as a propelling platform to the empowerment of youth corps members and other youths across the country for the purpose of wealth creation and self-employment.
Also you can apply for SME Clinic N100, 000 Small Business Grant Organized by Techpoint Africa: How to do it right here in Nigeria.
As a youth running a small business in this pandemic ridden world and especially in Nigeria, where it is very difficult for SMEs to raise funds and even get sound business education.
This is the more reason why you should attend the SME Clinic 2021, it is about how to sustain your business using technology, with training including bookkeeping and managing your online business.
According to the organizers, the official banking partner, First Bank of Nigeria Plc will give 5 SMEs N100,000 each after the programme.
Eligibility and How to apply:
Your business should be a micro or small business enterprise
Your business must be operating in Nigeria
You must attend SME Clinic 2021 physically.
Applications close on August 17, 2021.
Stay with us as we continue to bring to you programmes that will benefit SMEs in Nigeria and Africa in General.
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NON OIL EXPORT WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS` COMMENTS - 3 VIDEO CLIPS
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Post by Trade Coach on Aug 6, 2021 21:20:56 GMT 1
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NON OIL EXPORT WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS` COMMENTS - 3 VIDEO CLIPS
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Post by Trade Coach on Aug 4, 2021 23:40:05 GMT 1
Practical Tomato Farming In Nigeria: Step By Step Guide – Part 2
In the part 1 of this article we saw the huge gap between the requirement of fresh tomato and the quantity our farmers were able to produce in the country.
We saw the problem faced by Dangote tomato plant that has been suffering from inadequate supply of the commodity for quite some time now. The problem has been traced to inability of Nigeria tomato farmers to meet up with the requirement of the tomato plant.
If care is not taken the company may shutdown due to the problem of getting tomatoes for the plant to continue operation. We are made to understand that the plant is currently operating below 30% of its operational capacity.
The country is heavily importing both fresh tomatoes and processed tomato paste from other countries. This is the more reason why we have been bringing to our forum members practical steps to be taken in farming tomatoes in Nigeria.
In our articles in agriculture, we try as much as possible to make the process practical enough so that you can practice it easily. We do not want you to just read the articles without making any attempt to put into practice what we are teaching you.
When is the best time to start planting your tomatoes?
The best time to start planting your tomato is during the early rains, between March and May of the year. Please remember to take into consideration the effects of climate change; this sometimes may change the beginning of the rainy season in a particular country.
What quantity of tomato are you going to start with?
We have said that we need to put what is being taught in this forum into practice; therefore we must be realistic in how we approach the farming in practice. There is no need to read without putting what you have read into practice. We are not here to read for passing exam; we are here to put what we have read into practice in order to make money and take care of our families in these trying times in our country.
You are therefore advised to start small by trying out a sample farm first before going into the farming business big time.
It is like that in every business venture; take it step by step and in smaller chunks in order to understand the business first.
Every business has its own secrets that you can only master by doing the work first hand. There are some things that you can only master by doing it live.
It is advisable that you start with not more than one plot of land for an individual or an acre for a company; this way you will not be exposing your capital too much. In business and indeed anything in life, the business can be affected by unforeseen circumstances or nature.
Soil Preparation
The first step is to clear the soil in order to make it ready for cultivation by removing whatever that you feel will hinder your crop from growing properly. You have to till the ground and level it properly.
Depending on your location, make your beds or ridges and dress it up with animal dung or other organic matter. Like we normally advice, tomatoes will normally perform better in rich sandy loamy soil with a ph of 5.0-6.5. You must also spray insecticides around the nursery bed to wade of the invasion of dangerous insects from attacking them. Please remember to always treat the soil before planting, do this with good insecticide.
How To Plant Tomatoes: Practical planting methods
You may decide to plant your tomatoes directly on the soil, but it will yield better if you make beds or ridges. Raise your beds up about 1m X 1m and broadcast or spread the tomato seeds on it. If you do not make ridges or beds, flood may sweep away your seeds.
Please cover the seeds lightly with grass or compost; you can also cover with palm fronds if available. The essence is to cover the nursery against insects or mosquitoes and to prevent loss of moisture.
In 5-7 days the seeds will start to germinate, after some few days you can start removing the materials you used to cover the nursery seeds in order to allow for proper growth. After about another 30 days, you can then start transplanting.
Transplanting to the Tomato farm
At this stage the tomato plant is now ready for transplanting to its final place, this is where it will stay till maturity and production of fresh tomato.
They should be planted deep into the soil for about 6 inches into the soil to help root penetration which will encourage quick establishment of the plant.
Do your transplanting with hands, if it is too much for you, hire labourers to help. It is better to transplant the same day you uprooted the tender plants to avoid dehydration and fatigue on the tender and fragile plants.
It is generally recommended that you should plant your tomatoes about 18 – 24 inches apart from each other; however you have to look at the type of tomatoes you are planting before concluding on the final spacing.
We will continue on other topics on this very important topic, remember that putting what we learnt into practice is the best way to benefit from the training so far.
Stay with us for more. Don’t forget that we conduct agro-export trainings for interested people at our training centres; contact the admin of this forum for details.
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NON OIL EXPORT WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS` COMMENTS - 3 VIDEO CLIPS
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Post by Trade Coach on Aug 4, 2021 12:02:36 GMT 1
Broiler Chicken Farming: All You Need To Succeed In The Business – Part 1With this article we are starting a journey that will lead many people into becoming gainfully employed within a very short period of time. We are not going to teach you a get rich quick scheme but we will teach you a business that will guarantee you income within the next three months without breaking you pocket. Unless you choose to, you will not need to borrow money from the bank to start broiler farming and succeed; the only thing you will need is to follow instructions and play to the rules of the business. In our last article on poultry farming business we dealt with Kuroiler chicken farming; in it we discussed the origin of Kuroiler chicken specie and its importance in the poultry farming world. It is the result of crossing broiler with the exotic pullet specie. The question you should ask yourself is; why do they need to cross broiler with exotic pullet (layer) specie to produce Kuroiler? The answer is simple; the broiler chicken specie is the king of chicken in producing meat and it is currently the fastest growing chicken specie in the poultry industry. In Nigeria today, I have seen many poultry farmers selling matured broilers hitting 3kg at the age of six (6) weeks. It is happening in many farms, but you must play by the rules in order to achieve such results. What is Broiler Chicken?
Broilers are types of chicken reared specially for the purpose of meat. Though there are some companies that specialize in farming broilers for egg production. Of course that’s how farmers get their Day Old Chicks (DOC) for their poultry business. If there are no DOCs, there will not be poultry farming, so it is important to know that broiler farming can also be for eggs and not meat alone. Types of Broiler chicken available in Nigeria
In Nigeria there are quite some broilers species that are available, but all over the world there still may be more than what we currently have in our dear country. The following species are more popular among broiler poultry farmers than others: Cornish Cross Broilers: Also known as Cornish Rock, it is the fastest growing specie of broiler chicken in the industry, and it is also the most productive of all the breeds. Reason being that it has high growth rate and does well with cheap and low-density feeds. Cornish Cross Broilers take between six to eight weeks to grow to maturity, and that is why most poultry famers prefer it to other breeds of broilers. They have mostly white feathers and genetically yellow skin. This breed is a result of crossing a Cornish with a Plymouth Rock; its fast growing quality makes it very cost effective for farmers when you consider the high cost of feeds in the country. It also has a very good feed conversion rate as can be attested to by experienced broiler poultry farmers. Grinphield Marshall Broilers: This breed of broilers also takes between 6-8 weeks to mature to table size. They usually grow tall and big and is reputed to be disease resistant. Small scale poultry farmers are advised to rear this breed because it grows fast and big, therefore is more presentable in the marketplace giving the opportunity to recover their investment quickly. The Ideal Red Broilers: This breed of broilers is noted to grow slower than other breeds but has stronger resistance to diseases than other breeds. You can grow this breed easier outdoors than other types. They have longer legs than other faster growing breeds. Moyer’s K-22: The Moyer’s K-22 breed of broiler is loved by chicken meat consumers because of its reputation of having lean meet and less fat. The meat also has special fragrance and tender texture. It can weigh up to 2.27kg in about 6-10 weeks; making it a very slow growing breed, but the meat is excellent and a delight with consumers. Ross 308: This breed is very popular in Nigeria; it has high growth rate and very good feed efficiency management. The chicken can weigh up to 2kg in 6 weeks if properly fed. Ross 308 is loved by poultry meat consumers the world over There are still numerous broiler breeds in many countries, but we will stop here in this article. In the next article in this series we are going discuss medication in poultry farming. This is a very critical aspect of the business as a mistake here can wipe out your entire flock. Stay with us if you want to start and succeed in poultry business, we have very experienced professionals who are very current in the business. Don’t forget that we conduct agro-export trainings at our training centre; get in touch with the admin of this forum for further details.Stay with us.
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NON OIL EXPORT WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS` COMMENTS - 3 VIDEO CLIPS
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Post by Trade Coach on Aug 2, 2021 18:22:39 GMT 1
Sweet Potato: How To Start The Production For Export And Local Consumption – Part 1
Most people in the country know sweet potatoes, but unlike regular potatoes that are tubers, sweet potatoes are considered to be root vegetables.
Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is an herbaceous, warm weather creeping plant that belongs to the family of convolvulaceae and genus Ipomoea.
It grows best at temperatures between 24 – 28 degrees centigrade with annual rainfall of between 1, 000 and 7, 000 mm.
Potatoes in general have their origins in Southern America. But they are grown in all most all parts of the world now, with China being the largest producer in the world.
Both sweet and regular potatoes grow under the soil, but very different when it comes to taste, density and nutritional values.
The demand for sweet potato is increasing daily in Nigeria as the prices of other types of food like garri, yam, and rice are getting out of the reach of the common man. Sweet potato is more affordable for Nigerians in this difficult period facing the country.
The market of sweet potato is huge; this product can easily be converted into flour, chips, crisps and other varieties of snacks.
Nigeria is the largest producer of sweet potato in Africa, and also ranks among world’s largest producers of the commodity.
The annual production of sweet potato in Nigeria is 3.46 million metric tonnes as at 2019 reports
You should also know that sweet potato is an excellent source of starch, and increasing its production in Nigeria will go a long way in bridging the yawning gap in starch production in the country.
States that grow sweet potato in Nigeria:
Sweet potato is grown in the following states in Nigeria:
Kebbi
Benue
Kogi
Plateau
Taraba
Borno
Zamfara
Bauchi
Katsina
Gombe
Sokoto
Kano
Jigawa.
However, some other states cultivate the product but in smaller quantities.
Reasons why you should start sweet potato farming today:
The farming is very easy to manage because it is a creeping crop, and it has the capability of suppressing unwanted weed growth
The crop is a low risk crop
Sweet potato matures very fast, between 3-4 months
The business is highly profitable to engage into
You can get more than 100 tubers from one stand
It is not expensive to set up a sweet potato plantation
Sweet potatoes require adequate access to sunlight; it means you can grow them in any open area.
They can be grown in almost any type of soil, with the exception of soils with high level of alkaline and slime.
As is good with many types of agricultural commodities in Nigeria, sweet potatoes perform well in loamy and sandy soils that are rich in organic matter.
The reason for this is simple, loamy and sandy soils are loose and naturally will allow the roots to penetrate into the soil easily.
Factors to be considered when choosing the best sweet potato variety to cultivate:
In this day and age, you cannot just go into planting any type of crop or cultivating any type of commodity without knowing the best variety to choose. You must take the following into consideration before making a choice of the variety to plant.
You must consider the disease resistance level of the variety before making your final choice. Diseases are vital issues to consider as they can make or sabotage your entire business.
All the varieties don’t mature at the same time; therefore you must consider the time it takes a particular specie or variety to mature.
You must also take into consideration the yield of the variety you are choosing. Different species have different yield levels; therefore it is important you put that into consideration.
The following are some of the hybrid varieties of sweet potato used in Nigeria to get the best yield. There are many others used all over the world but these few are the commonest varieties in Nigeria.
NSRP/05/2D: This variety produces a very high yield due to their numerous branching and highest tuber yield weight
Olokuta: This variety has the best dry matter weight of all the varieties; this means that it can best be used for processing into sweet potato flour.
You have to stay with us because this is the beginning of a very interesting series of articles that will cover all aspects of sweet potato farming, processing, exporting and other business aspects of this wonderful commodity in Nigeria.
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NON OIL EXPORT WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS` COMMENTS - 3 VIDEO CLIPS
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Post by Trade Coach on Aug 2, 2021 10:51:25 GMT 1
NAFDAC condemns rejection of Nigeria-made commodities by USA, EUDirector General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Prof Moji Adeyeye has decried the incessant rejection of food and agricultural commodities from Nigeria by the United States of America USA and the European Union (EU) member countries on account of poor quality. She urged all the regulatory agencies at the port saddled with the responsibility of ensuring high quality of imports and exports to find urgent and lasting solutions to Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) Border Rejection Notifications from the European Commission on products originating from Nigeria. Speaking on Quality and Safety of Export Food Trade at a virtual technical roundtable meeting with other Federal Government agencies like Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development MARD, Foreign Portfolio Investments FPIS, Standard Organization of Nigeria SON, Nigeria Export Promotion Council NEPC, and Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria IPAN, amongst others, Adeyeye lamented the resultant bad image the repeated rejection of commodities from Nigeria by the EU has caused the country. In a statement by NAFDAC Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, in Abuja on Sunday, Adeyeye noted the stakeholders’ meeting was apt considering the volume of food and agricultural commodities from Nigeria facing challenges at entry points in some countries in Europe and the United States of America where they have been repeatedly rejected and which has become a great issue of concern. Internationally, she said Nigeria’s products meant for export market are faced with presence of contaminants such as pesticide residues, notoriously dichlorvos and other impurities; exceeding maximum permitted level and some with inadequate packaging and labeling which had caused a lot of products’ rejections in the global market. She noted that the international market is competitive in nature and only welcomes products of high quality with relevant certifications and quality packaging that is environmentally friendly, to trade globally, stressing the problem of quality, standard, certification, and appropriate packaging for made-in-Nigeria products destined for export has been an issue in the international market and there is need to address the issue of rejections. The NAFDAC boss disclosed that the Agency has over the years intervened to assist exporters to meet with international regulations thereby creating employment and earning foreign exchange for Nigeria. Through this intervention by NAFDAC, she added it was agreed that these products be subjected to 100 percent pre-export testing and issuance of Health Certificate to products with satisfactory limits before European Union further verify at their border control points. Source: thenationonlineng.net/nafdac-condemns-rejection-of-nigeria-made-commodities-by-usa-eu/
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NON OIL EXPORT WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS` COMMENTS - 3 VIDEO CLIPS
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Post by Trade Coach on Aug 1, 2021 12:59:22 GMT 1
AfCFTA: Nigeria, Cameroon Border Bridge Will Facilitate Int’l Trade After Completion – FasholaThe Federal Government of Nigeria has stated that the border bridge at Mfum community between Nigeria and Cameroon and the Ikom bridge will facilitate international trade between the two countries when inaugurated. Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN made the disclosure during the inspection of the two-lane bridge over the Cross River at the Cameroon and the Nigerian new Border at Ekok/Mfum and the new Ikom Bridge in Cross River State. Fashola said: “This is the A-4 Axis coming from Calabar to Maiduguri through Ogoja to Katsina-Ala. So you will expect more volume of trade. And it is no accident that Cross River State bears its name. It is actually the River that named the state. That River opens to the sea and the Gulf of Guinea. And so high impact on international trade is expected. “We have had very strong relationship with Cameroon in terms of trade and business and if you go to Aba, Enugu, Abakaliki, for example, this is the route that facilitates trade, agro produce, merchandise, manufactured goods from Aba in Abia State.” The Minister explained that the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration’s strategy of planning and execution of infrastructure projects was yielding results through successful completion. “This is a very strategic infrastructure to take Nigeria to the future for many more decades to facilitate relationship between brothers and sisters in Cameroun and Nigeria and to strengthen the bond of relationship in a joint development with the Republic of Cameroun and Nigeria.” Fashola said, adding that ‘’We are now entering the season of completion of infrastructure projects”, he said. The Minister while speaking with journalists after inspecting both the Nigeria /Cameron Joint Border Bridge at Mfom /Ekot and the New Ikom Bridge at Ikom in Cross River State noted that these bridges would increase the prosperity of the people, facilitate hundreds of jobs, movement of agro produce and manufactured goods, joint border patrol that would lead to security efficiency and position both nations to take the benefit of the free trade zone agreement. Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade who was represented by the State Commissioner for Works, Engr. Dane Osimasu at the sites of the inspection said that the Minister is a conceptualiser, implementor and committed to road development in the state. He assured the Honourable Minister that counterpart funding from the state would always be provided where it is necessary in infrastructure development projects. The Director Highway Bridges and Design, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Engr. Emmanuel Adeoye said during the inspection of the Ikom bridge that the project was awarded in October 2018 and it is due to finish by November, 7 2021. Engr. Adeoye said: “The rate at which the contractor is working, by the end of October it should be finished. Right now as we speak, the job is 92% completed, with the time lapse of 68%. We are moving faster than the scheduled time, so by end of October we should be done with the bridge.” The Executive Chairman of Etung Local Government Council Cross River State, Hon. Nkom Etuk praised the Ministry of Works and Housing for the remarkable job done on the bridges. The Ajassor Community Representative, Hon. Victor Njor said that the border bridge will enhanced joint border patrol linking Cameroon and Nigeria within their community and the people shall come out en mass when the bridge will be inaugurated soon. The border bridge between Nigeria and Cameroon is funded by the African Development Bank while the Ikom bridge is through the Sukuk bond. Source: www.journalngonline.com/2021/07/28/afcfta-nigeria-cameroon-border-bridge-will-facilitate-intl-trade-after-completion-fashola/
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NON OIL EXPORT WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS` COMMENTS - 3 VIDEO CLIPS
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Post by Trade Coach on Aug 1, 2021 3:00:22 GMT 1
Kafilat Adedeji is a mushroom farmer who is passionate about cultivating marketing and proffering solutions with use of technology. She has attended training and fellowships like the Carrington Youth Initiative Fellowship and the German Institute of Business and technology. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, she talks about her experience, passion for farming and more. How would you describe your experience in the sector?My experience has been a very interesting and challenging one. Imagine a female entrepreneur thriving in the Nigeria business environment especially in the Agriculture sector that is well dominated by men. I have had to survive the environment with a lot of resilience and a never giving up attitude. Combating one challenge to face another challenge and now at a point where that thing called resilience is now a part of my DNA having realised the entrepreneurship journey is all about creating solutions and solving challenges. Each day in the journey comes with its own unique learning process and fulfillment. So, now I enjoy every bit of what it presents while striving to become a better version every day. What attracted you to Mushrooms?
I got attracted to mushrooms because of the facts that it is very unique. Mushroom is neither plant nor animal! Requires some technicalities so barriers to entry are relatively higher. I had always wanted to build a sustainable business birthed from my academics professionalism as well as build a niche for myself. I hate unhealthy competition. Secondly, it requires comparatively low capital and more importantly low space to set up profitably. I got attracted more due to the fact that I can start a farm from the comfort of my room without having to go through the rigours of tiling the land which I was used to (from my experience being born into a farming family and my many years of agricultural study and experience working for other farms). Also, seeing mushrooms grow is more like fun and interesting. It has much potential to save the planet earth especially in this era of climate change effect impacting all spheres of life. Having got the opportunity to work after my NYSC in an integrated mushroom farm – the largest supplier of mushrooms to ShopRite, Lagos, Nigeria as of 2014, I discovered the potential of Mushrooms then. So, I had to develop a novel method of using the spent of mushroom substrates to combat the diseases of tomatoes in which my boss has spent a lot of money and efforts on to save his investment. I left the farm to develop my Masters Research in the University of Ibadan based on this challenge. Concluding my Masters research was a very great turning point to helping me start my own business based on my expertise in the mushroom production industry. What are the opportunities and challenges?
The opportunities are many. It is a unique business with a lot of value chains you can key into and quickly build a niche around and grow steadily with the right information and adopting the right technology. It also requires relatively low startup capital compared to other agribusiness. It actually requires little or no farm land as you can easily grow profitably indoors. A standard room can grow up to 1.5tonnes of mushrooms on a yearly basis with the installation and adoption of the right technologies and gadgets. Barriers to entry are higher in Nigeria so you can be more focused on building your business than focusing on competition. One other advantage is that the industry is very open to innovation, so you can easily develop innovative products from the mushroom production value and become the first to launch and determine what happens in the market or be in control of the market for the products. There are challenges and this includes the fact that it is highly labour intensive so you will have to deal with and manage a lot of unskilled workers. It requires one to be highly innovative and always willing to upgrade oneself. You will also need highly sophisticated equipment to get high profit margins as well as a lot of marketing efforts to locals except you are only targeting the export market. In which case, you would require a lot of influence and certifications which can take years and a lot of money in business to acquire. High technical knowhow requirement is also critical. What advice do you have for people who want to go into the sector?
They must acquire the right training first. Then study the different opportunities in the value chain and identify your strengths and weaknesses in relation to this. This will help you know the exact value chain you want to key into or begin with. It is also important to research your market – this is the most important aspect, whatever niche you want to stay or area of the business you want to begin with must be backed with enough market data justification. How did COVID-19 affect you?
The impact of COVID-19 was very much. Personally, it didn’t make us go to the farm. Even if you get your labourers to work for you, you have to be there to monitor it. The problem with unskilled labourers is that they cannot work on their own. So not being on the site to oversee them was a major challenge. The week we erected my container incubator on the farm was the same week that COVID-19 started with restrictions of not going out at all. All the labourers who came to do the work could not finish and we had to stop them. That eventually messed up the project and we wasted funds for that. We didn’t even know it would go on for months and even a year to get back to normal. We are recovering gradually. Mushroom production is usually done in a room structure, an enclosed setting and there was no way they could sit together, work and observe COVID protocols. The only thing I could do then was to do more of our paper works, seek for opportunities, grants and put technology in place to reduce workers as well as rotate the work on contract basis. What are some of the other things that occupy your time?I am multi- faceted. I am presently a PhD student at the University of Ibadan, doing paper work and gradually getting ready for field work. I work on how to reduce the disease in tomatoes. I also work on how to develop a smart tool to detect pathogens that affect crops on the field without going to the laboratory. I also do Program coding. So, I try to adopt and inculcate technology into my work. I upgrade my knowledge in these things because I am still learning. I also have another initiative where we teach students how to use Science and technology and adopt them for real life skills. Then my family is very important too. What was the driving force at the beginning?
Basically, passion was the drive for me. I remembered when I got married the gifts I requested from my husband was a Ted farm. I am sharing this this just to know how passionate I am about farming. That is what I have been used to, what I studied for my first degree and I was born into a farming family. This is what my grandma, grandpa, mum and dad did. We have a family farm and personally I am passionate about it. I went to study Agronomy and I graduated with a first class. All my job experience has been on the farm for Internship, Service year. Even my first job as Assistant farm manager, all my consultancy job was in the farming space. My next passion was to get a farm of my own. I had been helping others to set up theirs. I am very resilient, consistent and passionate about it. I didn’t give up and whatever comes my way I invested all. So, I would say passion is more of my driving force. Later when I had challenges, I began to rethink the process. I began to see farming as a business and it was more than passion. So, I kept telling people you need more than passion to succeed. I started acquiring business training, using technology and attended a lot of business incubation trainings. I am also naturally a technology freak, I love anything tech. One challenge was that I had to relocate to Lagos because of marriage. So, I had to start all over again. I couldn’t bring my farmland to Lagos. It was a rented apartment and couldn’t get space. I thought the best thing to do was to acquire my own land, rather than thinking of renting an apartment close to me. I opted for buy, put structures in place which I thought was more sustainable. However I had problems battling with omo-onile( land grabbers). You are a microbiologist, how this influenced what you do?
Yes, that actually helped my transitioning was during my Master’s. I was more of an Agronomists. I graduated with a first class and afterwards I have been practicing on farms. I had to transit into Microbiology specifically plant pathology, the microbiology option, a function of fungi. I had to transition into this during my first work experience as Assistant Farm Manager of an integrated farm. They deal in Mushrooms and every other exotic vegetables, herbs and livestock. That was where I got hands on experience on Mushrooms. I had to oversee the production process, selling, packaging and supply. We were one of the largest suppliers of Shoprite then. It was a fully integrated farm; they had Greenhouse farms for tomatoes and others. We had a problem on the farm and I love to fix problems. We went through a lot of process but the plant still came up with this disease. So, I got challenged, we consulted different experts from different industries, universities to recommend solutions but none of them brought solutions. We even tried chemicals despite the fact that the farm is an organic farm modeled after Songhai farms in Benin Republic. The chemicals didn’t work too. So, I took this as a challenge and I started seeing different options. One day I saw how we can use Mushroom compose to cure the disease of the plants. After producing the Mushrooms, the waste is no longer useful to us and I started working on how to manage the waste for the tomatoes disease. So, I developed my Master’s research to study this. I also had to spend 6 months extra to learn the art of Microbiologist because I didn’t have the background of how to culture organism, look for microbes and how to get beneficial microbes. Source: thenationonlineng.net/kafilat-adedeji-my-life-as-a-mushroom-farmer/
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NON OIL EXPORT WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS` COMMENTS - 3 VIDEO CLIPS
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Post by Trade Coach on Jul 30, 2021 10:29:40 GMT 1
The Lagos State government has empowered about 3,000 agripreneurs with agricultural productive assets and inputs under the 2021 Agricultural Value Chains Enterprise Activation Programme. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the kick off of distribution yesterday, described the intervention as a demonstration of his administration’s commitment to the development, expansion and growth of agriculture in Lagos State. According to him, providing tools, deploying innovation and creativity would make it easier for farmers to grow high quality crops thereby raising their inputs to feed Lagosians and Nigerians in general. The Governor urged beneficiaries to nurture their businesses to maturity and build sustainable wealth since the government was putting in place interventions to help them. He said: “These beneficiaries will be receiving tractors, ploughs, fishing boats and gear; harvesters, threshers, destoning machines, de-feathering machines, medication, herbicides, fish juveniles, pig growers, smoking kilns, eggs, and other implements and inputs. “These are to be utilised in farming communities across the agricultural zones of Badagry, Epe and Ikorodu. “The goal is simple – we want to make life easier for our farmers and agriculture workers. We want to make it easier for them to clear their land, grow high-quality crops, raise healthy animals, and process their output. “When they are able to do this successfully, everyone benefits, from producers to consumers. There are clear benefits in terms of health, productivity, employment, and so on. “I am pleased to note that the government has put in place a strategy for the proper utilisation and continuous maintenance of these assets, to ensure that we derive maximum value from them. “We are also working with a financial institution regarding appropriate financing structures for the guaranteed sustainability of the programme. “I must say that despite our numerous strides and good intentions, government alone cannot bring about the desired development in the agricultural sector. ” I urge the private sector to take advantage of the huge potentials in Lagos State Agricultural sector which currently boasts of an estimated annual transactional value of five trillion naira.” Commissioner for Agriculture Ms. Abisola Olusanya said 13,976 persons have benefitted since the programme started in 2014. She explained that it was the government’s desire to help committed farmers nurture their business into viable and mature agricultural enterprises through a deliberate monitoring and control mechanism. According to Olusanya, team accountability has been put in place to ensure the proper utilisation of assets which has resulted in the collaboration with Ecobank for the fisheries value chain, and the MSME Accountant Initiative of the Ministry of Finance for the Lagos Agripreneurship Programme (LAP) and Agricultural Youth Empowerment Scheme (Agric-YES) beneficiaries. She said: “These strategies are in addition to the window of opportunities that will be created for youth engagement as articulated in the Lagos State Agricultural and Food Systems Roadmap in the next five years. “In the long run, it is envisaged that these efforts, and many others in the agriculture ecosystem, will enable the state transit from being a food consumer to a major food producer, especially in fisheries, piggery, poultry production and coconut value chains where it has a strong comparative and competitive advantage.” Source: thenationonlineng.net/lagos-empowers-3000-farmers-with-agricultural-inputs/
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NON OIL EXPORT WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS` COMMENTS - 3 VIDEO CLIPS
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Post by Trade Coach on Jul 27, 2021 22:00:25 GMT 1
Ogun, Lagos top list of $1.69bn investment destinations in Nigeria in Q2 ― NIPCFollowing the investment announcement of over $1.69 billion into Nigeria in the second quarter (Q2) of 2021, Ogun and Lagos State have come top on the list of investment destination in the country. According to the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) report for investment announcement for Q2 of 2021, investment into Ogun state stands at $500 million representing 30 per cent of the total announcement while Lagos State has an investment of about $441.3 million representing 26 per cent of the total announcement. Others are Nasarawa state with an investment of $300 million representing 18 per cent of the announcement, Rivers State also has an investment of $300 million representing another 18 per cent of the announcement. Kano, Adamawa, Ekiti and Kogi states altogether represent 1 per cent of the investment announcement in Q2, 2021. The announcement covers 14 projects in Manufacturing, Electricity, Information and Communications and Real estate. Based on the NIPC report, the investment announcement in Q2 of 2021 is about 80 per cent lower than the investment announcement in Q1 of the same year. In Q1 of 2021, the total investment announcement was about $10.11 billion with projects in four sectors of Manufacturing, Construction, Electricity and Information and Communications. Source: tribuneonlineng.com/ogun-lagos-top-list-of-1-69bn-investment-destinations-in-nigeria-in-q2-―-nipc/
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NON OIL EXPORT WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS` COMMENTS - 3 VIDEO CLIPS
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Post by Trade Coach on Jul 23, 2021 16:08:19 GMT 1
Dangote Can’t Get Enough Fresh Tomatoes to Run Plant Profitably: Reason For Understanding Tomato Farming In Nigeria We just wrote an article on how to start lucrative tomato farming in Nigeria recently, and it has been trending that The Dangote tomato plant owned by Sani Dangote, the immediate younger brother of the richest man in Africa could not get enough fresh tomatoes to operate his factory to profitable capacity. How do we explain that Africa’s biggest tomato processing plant is barely managing to operate profitably; six years after the factory began production it can’t still get adequate fresh tomatoes to crush in order to remain profitably in operation? The plant has a capacity of about 1,200 metric tonnes of tomato per day; but it is producing at 20% of capacity because farmers don’t have enough resources to boost production of the scarce commodity The factory was meant to reverse Nigeria’s dependence on imports of tomato paste from China and increase local production. This action was to not only increase production of the product locally but to provide massive employment opportunities to the community. The major essence of the Dangote plant was to help Africa’s most populous nation cut 300,000 tons of tomato-paste imports from China. But the country is still having an estimated 900,000 tons of tomatoes lost locally every year due to a lack of storage and processing facilities. While tomato farming employs an estimated 200,000 people, banks balk at lending to farmers despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s focus on boosting local production. Such long-term policy missteps, entrenched corruption and ethnic tensions are discouraging investments needed to add jobs in a nation suffering from one of the world’s highest unemployment rates. About 10,000 tomato growers were to benefit from the Federal Government under the Anchor Borrowers’ programme one year ago, but what became of it is not clear as at today. How do we key into the current situation as current farmers of tomato or intending farmers?
Let us go into the real farming of tomato while continuing with our part 2 of the article series. Does it not surprise you, the farmers are there, the factory is there, and above all the market is also there to absorb all your finished products, but the commodities are not there for the factory to use. How To Grow TomatoesTomato farming in Nigeria is not as difficult as people make it to sound, this business can be done by anybody who is interested in doing it. You can actually plant tomato in your compound or in a large farmland if you want to go into commercial production. Interestingly you can grow tomato all through the year, especially in areas where irrigation project has been installed and maintained. But if you are living in areas of the country where there is no irrigation, then you can cultivate your tomato farm during the rainy season. Pick The Tomato Specie To Use
The specie you should use must be the improved specie which of course is the best choice for many experienced or knowledgeable farmers. The Roma tomato variety is the best specie to be used; it will give you the best result at harvest. It is also known as Italian tomatoes. This tomato specie has a long shelf life, hard back, and low water content; this enables it to last long after harvest. The seeds can be found in agricultural shops in town, if you do not know of any of the shops, ask around and you will be shown. The advantage of this specie is that you can use it for both canning and producing tomato paste. Tomato paste is gulping a lot of foreign exchange from Nigeria. Tips For Growing Roma Tomato
Just like we said earlier, roma tomato is a paste tomato; paste tomatoes generally have thicker fruit walls, fewer seeds and denser flesh. They tend to be oblong in shape, firm and heavy for their size. Like other tomato species, roma tomato plants need plenty of water, soil rich in organic materials. They need to be staked off the ground in order to get the best fruit production. You have to prepare the soil for making your tomato bed by adding compost or slow-release fertilizer. After planting your roma tomato, water them at least once a week. Immediately the plants are up to 15-30 cm high, start staking the roma tomatoes up off the ground. Roma tomato plants can withstand a lot of diseases that destroy other tomato plants easily. Once the roma tomato is red all through from bottom to the top, you can start picking your tomatoes. To solve the scarcity of tomatoes in Nigeria currently, roma tomatoes are the best to start cultivating. Stay with us as we will be bringing more information about tomatoes to our members. Don’t forget that we are the best in export training, get in touch with our Admin for more details on our various training programmes.
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NON OIL EXPORT WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS` COMMENTS - 3 VIDEO CLIPS
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Post by Trade Coach on Jul 22, 2021 19:16:44 GMT 1
How To Start A Lucrative Tomato Farming Business In Nigeria Part-1
Tomato is a very popular vegetable in Nigeria, Africa and the world over. It is used in cooking all sorts of soups and stews. Incidentally, tomato farming is very simple and requires no special skills to carryout.
In the time past, you hardly pass any compound without seeing tomatoes planted all over the compound. No one knows what caused the discontinuance of that practice.
Tomato has a Huge Market in Nigeria
Tomatoes are in high demand in Nigeria, the demand far outstrips the supply, hence the frequent occurrence of scarcity. Whenever there is any little disruption, the tomato business chain breaks up causing scarcity.
Tomato paste market in Nigeria is a huge market too, the country is ranked 14th in the world, and 2nd in Africa after Egypt in tomato production.
Nigeria is a major force to be reckoned with in West Africa when it comes to tomato production as it produces over 65% of the total tomato produced in West Africa.
Tomato Paste Production and Importation
Nigeria imports about 150, 000 metric tons of tomato paste annually; this confirms the level of tomato consumption in Nigeria. Statistics show that Nigeria is the 13th largest importer of tomato paste in the world and 3rd in Africa.
Demand for fresh tomato in Nigeria is ever increasing
The current demand for fresh tomato in Nigeria is in the region of 3 million metric tonnes annually, while the present production stands at 2.3 metric tonnes annually.
What is the problem?
About 40-50% of tomatoes produced in Nigeria do not get to the market or where they are needed, the reasons are numerous; the post-harvest losses during the tomato peak production period are the worst.
The country has no proper preservation process for fresh tomatoes produced in the country.
Statistics show that the value of lost tomatoes in Nigeria due to post harvest losses is estimated to be about $15 billion annually.
How do we solve the problem of shortfall of tomato in Nigeria?
Nobody can deny the fact that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has invested heavily into diversifying the economy from being mono-culturally dependent on oil.
This belief has necessitated huge investments made in Agriculture through several schemes such as the Anchor Borrowers’ programme which has affected the lives of many farmers and the national economy as well.
To solve the problem of shortage of tomato, the CBN, as part of its efforts in encouraging local production of the commodity, has placed tomato and tomato paste imports on foreign exchange restriction list.
Recall that Dangote Industries has also invested the sum of $3 billion in tomato processing plant established in Kano state; still the country’s tomato production capacity remains low.
The Country has one of the highest favorable weather conditions for tomato production, but poor tomato nursery and heavy post-harvest losses have been the major constraints.
Tomato Nursery:
Tomato nursery is a very important component of producing high quality seedling which forms the base for sustainable tomato production.
If you did not know, tomato seedlings are usually raised in nurseries before being transplanted to the farm fields.
Tomato nursery business is an expensive venture for many of Nigeria’s tomato farmers as most of them are smallholder farmers that have little or no money; this normally will force them to source the seedlings from neighboring countries.
One of the greatest problems I have seen in the poor management of post-harvest losses of fresh tomato in Nigeria is the loss caused by poor transportation of the commodity from the Northern part of the country where the commodity is mainly grown to the south where it is majorly consumed.
More than 40% of the commodity is lost on the way due to extremely bad transportation infrastructure and inadequate storage facilities when it even gets to the final destination.
Look at the situation where a paint bucket full of tomato is sold in Lagos Mile 12 market for N200 during the peak supply period, and most of the products are thrown away due to spoilage, while the same quantity is sold for N1, 000 during off season due to scarcity.
If there had been proper preservation methods, the paint bucket could probably be sold for an average of N400 throughout the period without the farmers or sellers losing much.
We of this forum believe that if the government can invest in reliable transport system like the long touted Agricultural products efficient transportation system.
The Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System of Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) has advocated for the Secured Agricultural Commodity Transport & Storage Corridor (SATS-C) to become operational.
The SATS-C is a model that delivers a seamless supply-chain mechanism for handling agro-allied commodities such as inputs, raw materials, processors, and exporters.
When this transport system becomes operational most of these transport problems will be eliminated.
Stay with us as we will delve in the proper farming of tomato in Nigeria in the part 2 of the article.
If you are in need of training on Agricultural and export business, contact the admin of the forum as we are the best agro-export training institution in Nigeria.
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NON OIL EXPORT WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS` COMMENTS - 3 VIDEO CLIPS
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Post by Trade Coach on Jul 22, 2021 12:47:47 GMT 1
Nigeria: African Development Bank (AfDB) Bolsters Women-Empowered Businesses With $50 million Loan To FCMB
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank has approved a loan of $50 million to Nigeria’s First City Monument Bank (FCMB) to channel to local enterprises and women-empowered businesses in the agribusiness, manufacturing, healthcare and renewable energy sectors.
These women-empowered businesses must be in the following sectors:
Agricultural businesses
Manufacturing
Healthcare, and
Renewable energy
Thirty percent (30%) of the funds, which are intended to mitigate effects of the challenging Covid-19 environment, are earmarked for underserved women-empowered businesses.
Which are the underserved women-empowered businesses?
There are a lot of businesses that women participate in Nigeria but getting adequate finance to run such businesses successfully is a big problem in most parts of the country. I hope that the bank in charge of the management of this fund (FCMB) will do all it takes to get to the women that really need this loan.
In addition, the Bank will provide a technical assistance grant of $200,000 through its Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative supported by the Women Entrepreneurship Finance Initiative. The grant will complement the loan by enabling First City Monument Bank to provide non-financial services, including training, and to strengthen its monitoring and reporting functions.
Another beauty coming with loan is the grant of $200,000 for technical assistance that will enable First City Monument Bank (FCMB) to provide technical assistance in the area non-financial services; such as training and strengthening its monitoring and reporting functions.
“The African Development Bank is pleased to support FCMB’s strategy to become a dominant player in addressing the funding needs of women-empowered and local enterprises,” said Stefan Nalletamby, the African Development Bank’s Director of Financial Sector Development. “This project will extend valuable resources to critical but underserved segments during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, with its adverse macroeconomic impacts.”
Small- and medium-sized firms account for up to 80% of employment in most African countries and women-empowered businesses typically face a considerable financing gap. The Nigerian economy has been hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, and falling crude oil prices have had a ripple effect on the wider economy.
FCMB is a Nigerian commercial bank with around 5 million customers. It had total assets of around $5 billion as at the end of 2020.
The project aligns with the objectives of AFAWA, which aims to improve gender inclusivity by improving access to finance for women entrepreneurs. The project also advances the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy and is consistent with three of its High-5 strategic priorities: Industrialize Africa, Feed Africa, and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa. It also aligns with the Nigeria Country Strategy Paper 2020-2024.
This is an Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative supported by the Women Entrepreneurship Finance Initiative with the aim of improving gender inclusivity in Africa by improving access to finance for women entrepreneurs.
This project is in line with the bank’s three of its High-5 strategic priorities:
Industrialize Africa
Feed Africa, and
Improve the quality of life for the people of Africa
And also aligns with Nigeria’s country strategic paper 2020-2024
The African Development Bank is an implementing partner of the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, a groundbreaking partnership housed in the World Bank Group that aims to unlock financing for women-led businesses in developing countries.
We of this forum are advising our women entrepreneurs to please try and take advantage of this loan; if you do not have a previous business relationship with FCMB; make an effort to visit the bank and make enquiries to get more knowledge or information about the loan.
There is an adage that says “there is no harm in trial”, and we believe in it. Some people are also afraid of receiving no as an answer; but what is no? No simply means nothing. If you ask for something and you get no as reply, it does not remove anything from your previous position.
Give it a trial, and do not forget that you can only make good success with your loans when you make use of it judiciously. We are here to give you the necessary training and support you need to succeed.
Stay with us.
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NON OIL EXPORT WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS` COMMENTS - 3 VIDEO CLIPS
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Post by Trade Coach on Jul 22, 2021 11:52:35 GMT 1
Following the official launch of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Trade Promotion Organizations (TPO) Network last Friday towards increasing the volume of trade within the region, Nigeria is poised to boost its non-oil exports leveraging the platform. The Executive Director /CEO of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC, Mr Segun Awolowo, is also the inaugural president of the ECOWAS TPOs and the NEPC is now repositioning the nation’s export through the implementation of its N50 billion Export Expansion Facility Programme (EEFP), a part of the Economic Sustainability Plan whose development and implementation is being led by the Vice President. The Export Expansion Facility Programme, EEFP is expected to significantly raise the volume of non-oil exports in Nigeria, and it’s a spin-off of the Zero Oil Plan developed by Mr. Awolowo and approved by the President. Besides providing financial support for the average Nigerian exporter, the EEFP is also going to see the establishment of top-notch warehouses in the country close to airports where Nigerian goods meant for export would be packaged to global competitive standards ahead of their exportation. The EEFP, in line with the FG’s Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP), is focused on cushioning the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on non-oil export businesses, thereby safeguarding jobs and creating new ones. Earlier in March this year, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment (MITI), Otunba Niyi Adebayo, officially flagged off the EEFP and also launched the first online Grant Management Portal (GMP) for non-oil exports. While the EEFP is being implemented by the NEPC, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade & Investment is the supervisory body over the agency and its operations. It was disclosed that although the Programme anticipated 500 beneficiaries, since the launch, it has received over 3,500 applications for the grant, out of which over 2,000 were verified after meeting the eligibility criteria. FG officials say further details and plans on disbursement to final successful beneficiaries are being awaited. Aside from being an intervention to save and create jobs, Adebayo noted that the Programme “will support resilience in shoring up the foreign exchange, diversification, modernization of Nigeria’s economy and acceleration of economic growth and economic support.” Under the Export Expansion Facility, there are 16 programmes as approved in the Implementation Work plan under seven Workstreams namely – Capacity Building, Emergency Interventions, Export Aggregation, Export Inclusion, Export Trade facilitation, Institutional Strengthening and Market Development. For instance, the Emergency Intervention is to support existing exporters in responding to shocks caused by COVID-19, while Market Development involves penetrating identified export markets as value chain analysis for priority products, leveraging Africa Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) and other trade treaties. Considering the significant role it plays in growing the Nigerian economy, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are the target group of support from the EEFP and the Export Development Fund (EDF). At the launch of the TPO Network, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo stated that there was a need to expand intra-regional trade in the ECOWAS sub-region, with the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement. In the same vein, Awolowo further stated that the Network will work towards facilitating the ease of trade for MSMEs within the ECOWAS region and Africa in general. Source: www.vanguardngr.com/2021/07/how-fg-plans-to-boost-export-with-n50bn-esp-funding/
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