By Chigozie Chukwuleta
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council has continued it’s nation wide drive to spread awareness on opportunities in the exporting industry.
The train once again stopped over in Awka, Anambra state with a sensitization campaign aimed at training exporters and potential exporters on capturing of baseline data documentation on the the Export Expansion Grant web portal.
Declaring the event tagged ‘THE EXPORT EXPANSION GRANT SCHEME ENLIGHTENMENT CAMPAIGN ON DIGITALIZATION OF CLAIMS SUBMISSION AND PROCESSING USING THE WEB PORTAL APPLICATION’ open, the Executive Director/CEO, NEPC, Dr Ezra Yakusak described the training as an important event of the enlightenment campaign on the Export Expansion Grant (EEG) Scheme.
The Executive Director who was represented by the Assistant Director, Support Development and Incentive Department, NEPC, Mr Idongesit Essien said that the program is the very key in creating awareness and updating exporters, stakeholders and practitioners in the non-oil export value chain on key developments in the administration of the EEG Scheme.
He explained that the Scheme is a post-shipment incentive geared toward boosting the volume and value of non-oil exports by offering some form of assistance to exporters who had duly repatriated the proceeds of their export business.
Dr Yakusak informed that the Scheme which dates back to 1986 with the promulgation of the Incentives & Miscellaneous Provisions Act had undergone several reviews aimed at continuous improvement to re-position it for enhanced performance, sustainability, and affordability.
Earlier in her welcome remark, Assistant Director and Head of NEPC, Anambra state, Mrs Jane Ego Ohiri charged participants to listen attentively and take advantage of the opportunity provided by the Council to better their knowledge of exportation to put the state in the export map of Nigeria.
She believed that if the youth explore the export business, it will go a long way to bring to reality the nation’s desire for economic diversification.
Also speaking, the Personal Assistant to the governor on Export, Mr Eloka Mmaduekwe enjoined the youth to think outside the box and embrace the opportunities the export industry provides.
He said that the governor Soludo led administration is committed to making ease a culture in the exporting industry bearing the youth in mind.
Papers presented include, ‘Overview of Export Expansion Grant Scheme’ by Mr Idongesit Essien and ‘Capturing of Export Expansion Grant Baseline Data’ by Mr Anderson Wilkie.
The Managing Consultant of Traynetex, Mr Joseph Godfrey took the participants on ‘Integrating ICT in Everyday Business’.
In their respective goodwill messages, Pharm. Chisom Uchem of NACCIMA Women Business Group and Princess Caroline Ajuva of the Awka Chamber of Commerce enjoined the youth to embrace export business as the new normal while thanking NEPC for providing the opportunity.
The problem with the NEPC or maybe I should say the Eastern is that they are so selfish when it. Comes to programs that will benefit the poor masses , those representing the poor masses in the east are use to cutting. Corners, and you are encouraging people to come and register where’s when program’s that will be a lift will come up and the public or be carried along.