Post by Trade facilitator on Feb 23, 2021 10:17:40 GMT 1
Non-Oil Exporters Want Synergy With Regulatory Bodies On Goods Acceptance
The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has made it known to all who care to listen that it is ever ready to do anything possible to diversify its national economy. The government has also made it known on several occasions that it must diversify the economy by encouraging exports of non-oil commodities to end the mono-cultural dependence on crude oil sales.
To support this, an association known as the Network of Practising Non-Oil Exporters of Nigeria, NPNEN, recently called for synergy with the relevant regulatory bodies on goods acceptance in the country.
The body stated this at a town hall meeting held between non-oil exporters and the management of the regulatory bodies at Abuja the capital city of the country.
During the meeting, the chairman steering committee of the association, Mr. Olufemi Boyede, urged the regulatory bodies to help in facilitating the acceptability of Nigerian commodities in other countries.
This is a welcome development, but this forum also believes that the non-oil exporters also have a crucial part to play in making this a reality. Before engaging in any business of exporting agricultural commodities to any country, please sit down and carefully study their requirements or get trained on it. If you don’t you are likely to make mistakes and make losses.
The chairman of the steering committee of the association told the audience that it is possible for the regulatory agencies to achieve the objective if they can take the job seriously by contacting the opposite regulatory agencies in the other countries that Nigerian exporters sell goods to.
It is true that every country has its own import regulations, but there is nothing wrong in the nation’s regulatory agencies making it a point of duty to intervene in this by deliberately contacting their counterparts in the countries to specifically enter into pacts on accepting the country’s products abroad.
One of the panelists at the meeting, Rita Owese, who is into export logistics said that it has become important for all in the non-oil export sector of the economy to wake up and speak with one voice in challenging the problems facing the industry.
She also reiterated that there is a great potential in the non-oil export industry, but it cannot be realized without the synergy between the government regulatory agencies and the non-oil exporters. Both parties are not competing with each other or trying to outdo one another, but are partners in progress.
The leaders of the country have been doing all within their powers to make the country a force to be reckoned with in the global non-oil export business, but this noble objective cannot be achieved without a concerted effort among all concerned.
We the exporters know that there is a challenge between the exporters and the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), the shipping lines in the documentation processes. Simplifying and synergizing the procedures will go a long way in making great progress in the industry, said Rita.
The government needs to look at the processes that exporters go through in the country, why must we go through several agencies because of just one export? Why is there no synergy between all the agencies?
One other problem that has been causing a pain in the neck of Nigeria non-oil exporters is the issue of road network. This has almost made it impossible to move goods from one location to another because of the impassibility of the roads.
There is not much any exporter can achieve with the situation of the road network in the country now. Look at what exporters have been facing due to the problem at the Apapa port for quite some time now. Many have lost huge sums of money due to the problem.
The association revealed that it usually took up to a month or 20 days to get into the port. How can one succeed with this sort of situation? One will most likely default in supplying his or her buyers abroad.
The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has made it known to all who care to listen that it is ever ready to do anything possible to diversify its national economy. The government has also made it known on several occasions that it must diversify the economy by encouraging exports of non-oil commodities to end the mono-cultural dependence on crude oil sales.
To support this, an association known as the Network of Practising Non-Oil Exporters of Nigeria, NPNEN, recently called for synergy with the relevant regulatory bodies on goods acceptance in the country.
The body stated this at a town hall meeting held between non-oil exporters and the management of the regulatory bodies at Abuja the capital city of the country.
During the meeting, the chairman steering committee of the association, Mr. Olufemi Boyede, urged the regulatory bodies to help in facilitating the acceptability of Nigerian commodities in other countries.
This is a welcome development, but this forum also believes that the non-oil exporters also have a crucial part to play in making this a reality. Before engaging in any business of exporting agricultural commodities to any country, please sit down and carefully study their requirements or get trained on it. If you don’t you are likely to make mistakes and make losses.
The chairman of the steering committee of the association told the audience that it is possible for the regulatory agencies to achieve the objective if they can take the job seriously by contacting the opposite regulatory agencies in the other countries that Nigerian exporters sell goods to.
It is true that every country has its own import regulations, but there is nothing wrong in the nation’s regulatory agencies making it a point of duty to intervene in this by deliberately contacting their counterparts in the countries to specifically enter into pacts on accepting the country’s products abroad.
One of the panelists at the meeting, Rita Owese, who is into export logistics said that it has become important for all in the non-oil export sector of the economy to wake up and speak with one voice in challenging the problems facing the industry.
She also reiterated that there is a great potential in the non-oil export industry, but it cannot be realized without the synergy between the government regulatory agencies and the non-oil exporters. Both parties are not competing with each other or trying to outdo one another, but are partners in progress.
The leaders of the country have been doing all within their powers to make the country a force to be reckoned with in the global non-oil export business, but this noble objective cannot be achieved without a concerted effort among all concerned.
We the exporters know that there is a challenge between the exporters and the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), the shipping lines in the documentation processes. Simplifying and synergizing the procedures will go a long way in making great progress in the industry, said Rita.
The government needs to look at the processes that exporters go through in the country, why must we go through several agencies because of just one export? Why is there no synergy between all the agencies?
One other problem that has been causing a pain in the neck of Nigeria non-oil exporters is the issue of road network. This has almost made it impossible to move goods from one location to another because of the impassibility of the roads.
There is not much any exporter can achieve with the situation of the road network in the country now. Look at what exporters have been facing due to the problem at the Apapa port for quite some time now. Many have lost huge sums of money due to the problem.
The association revealed that it usually took up to a month or 20 days to get into the port. How can one succeed with this sort of situation? One will most likely default in supplying his or her buyers abroad.
