NEPC Builds Exports Capacity In Middle Belt Region
BY CHAMBERLAIN ODEY, JOS – The Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) will continue to sensitize and sharpen the potential of individuals and groups towards large scale trading and exportation of solid minerals abound in the Middle Belt region.
To this end, the Council has organized a capacity development workshop with emphasis on solid minerals development within the North-central zone
Facilitated by the North Central Export Assistant Centre (NCEAC), Jos, the one-day programme drew participants from relevant areas in the solid minerals development sub-sector, with resource persons from the extractive industry background.
Justifying the aptness of the programme, NEPC’s Regional Coordinator, North Central Export Assistance Centre, Nanakaan Saave said, “the solid minerals sector is one that holds much promise as it has been making reasonable contribution to the nation’s foreign exchange earnings”.
Quoting the ITC data for 2015, Saave said out of Nigeria’s total export net of 53.9 billion US dollars, “solid minerals and related products contributed 427 million US dollars”.
Saave also pointed out that “our area of coverage, the North Central geo-political zone, happens to be the most endowed in valuable solid minerals, including gold and diamonds”.
Paper presentations at the capacity building programme include: “operational hazards, environmental impact and other challenges faced by the solid minerals subsector”; “export procedures and documentation”; and “financing of solid minerals export in Nigeria”.