NEPC Certifies 36 SMEs To Enhance Non-Oil Export

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council has certified about 36 Small and Medium Enterprises Exporters.

Addressing the beneficiaries in a brief ceremony at the NEPC headquarters Abuja, the Executive Director, Ezra Yakusak, said the cardinal objective of the project is to encourage value addition against the export of raw agricultural produce.

He said the certification will enable the SME exporters compete favourably in the lucrative international markets while getting premium pricing for their products.

“It will also facilitate SMEs access to certified niche non-oil export international markets and to compete favourably in the lucrative international markets while getting premium pricing for their products.

“You are all aware the penetrating international markets for processed and value-added products, particularly food items require additional voluntary certification to enable the products access overseas market” he said.

The NEPC boss noted that accessing global markets has become tougher due to the on-going pandemic, which requires strict inspection regimes at Border Control Points in importing countries.

He said these strict and increasingly competitive requirements imply that exporters of food items must strive to acquire additional non-mandatory certification to enable their products compete globally.

The NEPC Director, Product Development, Williams Ezeagu said the council adopted the ‘Go Global, Go For Certification’ to ensure that the nation’s Small and Medium Enterprises competes favourably in the international markets.

“The ‘Go Global, Go for Certification’ initiative and the NICOP programme have a total of 40 SME exporters that benefited from our certification projects including the 26 that will be awarded HACCP, Halal, USFDA and ISO 22000 certifications.”