The military regime of Gen Olusegun Obasanjo in 1976 approved the establishment of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) through Decree No. 26 of 1976 which has now become an Act.
Obasanjo’s regime at the time said Nigeria needed to build a viable economy that can be sustained through agricultural products aside from crude oil, which is today Nigeria’s major source of income.
The vision of the government was to adequately promote Nigeria’s non-oil products like sesame seeds export and Ginger among others to the rest of the world.
However, the formal implementation of the NEPC was done in March 1977. Since then the law creating the agency has undergone several revise and reviews.
For instance, before Obasanjo handed over power to Alhaji Shehu Shagari (the first democratically elected executive president on October 1, 1979) Decree No. 72 of 1979 was effected to make some adjustments in the law establishing the council.
As if that wasn’t enough, the regime of Gen. Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (Nigeria’s first military president) in 1988 came up with Decree No. 41 of 1988 and complemented it by the Export (Incentives and Miscellaneous Provisions) Decree No. 18 of 1986 to make further adjustment in the law guiding the operations of NEPC.
The last of such adjustment to enhance the performance of NEPC in promoting Nigeria’s non-oil products was carried out by IBB in 1992 by Decree No. 64 and 65 of 1992
What is NEPC?
NEPC means the Nigerian Export Promotion Council which is saddled with the responsibility of promoting non-oil products in Nigeria to the rest of the world by designing and implementing progammes that would connect exporters of agricultural or non-oil products from Nigeria to foreign buyers globally.
Simply put, NEPC is an agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria with the aim of building a formidable economy that could sustain itself apart from revenue from oil.
- Outgoing CEO: Mr. Segun Awolowo
- Incoming Executive Director and CEO: Ezra Yakusak
Offices
NEPC has its headquarters located in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and has six regional offices spread across Nigeria, they are
- Lagos,
- Port Harcourt,
- Kano,
- Enugu,
- Jos,
- Yola
Objective Nigerian Export Promotion Council
The discovery of crude oil in 1956 at Oloibiri, Eastern region, the present-day Bayelsa State, (South-South geopolitical zone) Nigeria, had made the country turn its attention away from agricultural products (like cocoa, groundnut, oil palms which constituted Nigeria’s revenue).
The government thought it was time for the country to also have other sources of revenue and NEPC was born to help promote non-oil products in Nigeria in order to make Nigeria diversify its economy
Functions of NEPC
Below are the functions and mission of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council in Nigeria in relation to international trade:
1) Promotion of Nigeria’s non-oil products
2) Development of strategies exports
3) Diversification of Nigeria’s exports from oil to agricultural produce
4) Collaborating with international trade agencies
5) Cooperating with foreign bodies in simplifying the exports process
6) Exchange export ideas with Nigeria’s export partners on the promotion of products from both countries
7) To keep Nigerian exporters abreast of international standards and regulations in order to assist them in preparing their products
8) Assist in assessing prospective exporters if they are ready for export through its readiness checker
9) Issuing export licence to Nigerians who want to engage in international trade through its E-registration platform
10) Provides international market information for Nigerian exporters
11) It provides product fact sheet to serve as a guide for exporters of non-oil products
12) It provides international market price and statistics
13) NEPC also matches buyers with sellers and vice versa
14) It also handles trade inquiries to help solve key challenges in the international market
15) It serves as a meeting point of trade for merchants and buyers through its seminars and workshops
16) Publishes trade information within Nigeria and abroad to connect Nigerian exporters with potential markets around the world.
17) It organises trade seminars and export training to build the capacity of exporters
18) To facilitate access to export incentives, particularly for export firms. For instance, the two huge export incentives facilitated by the agency are: 1) Export Development Fund; 2) Export Expansion Grant
19) It provides supports for newbies in the international trade to penetrate the global market
20) It provides logistics support for Nigerian exporters by connecting them with freight companies in Nigeria with a great track record
21) It designs post-shipment training for exporters to expand volumes and improve global competitiveness of Nigerian products.
22) NEPC also offers advisory services to exporters on the mistakes to avoid in international trade
23) It organises solo exhibitions for Nigerian to show to the rest of the World their products that are ready to export
24) Providing protocol support in areas of visa process and flight information is another key function of the Nigeria Export Promotion Council.
25) There is no way an exporter can jump custom in international trade, as such NEPC prepares potential exporters for customs requirements. This way, the exporter knows, prohibited products and customs documents he needs to arrange before heading to the port.
26) Knowing what the required information and documents for export from Nigeria aren’t enough, knowing the standard requirements in the host country to which the exports are meant is very germane to a successful export business. As such, the Nigeria Export Promotion Council provides information on transportation in the host country.
27) In ensuring that Nigerian women are not let out in the international trade, NEPC has a sound collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC) and UKAid to offer technical assistance to build capacity for Nigerian women exporters.
28) To connect Nigerian women with buyers of their products through SheTrades. ITC is the brain behind SheTrades Initiative, aimed at supporting creative women around the world to connect them with buyers of their creative products around the world.
29) To encourage Nigerians to sell non-oil products
30) NEPC also plays a critical role in reducing unemployment among Nigerian youths through some of its seminars and workshops where youths are encouraged to embrace agribusinesses that constitute Nigeria’s non-oil products
More information on how you be part of this SheTrades initiative coming up soon on InfomediaNG Business Solutions very soon.
