The Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) at the weekend inaugurated the Bayelsa State coordinating office, with a call on Nigerians on the need to diversify the economic away from crude oil to non-oil exportable commodities, services and other minerals resources.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the office in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, the Director, Chief Executive Officer of the NEPC, Nonye Ayeni, emphasised that diversification remain the only panacea for economic growth and prosperity in the country.
She said it is only when Nigerians grow and process their own goods and services away from crude oil sales that they will.be able to generate enough revenue of foreign exchange to help stabilise foreign to naira currency.
She said with the mandate given to the NEPC, which is to develop and promote non-oil export in the country and also to diversify the economy away from oil, the council is ready to collaborate with key stakeholders to make it a reality.
She said: “We are going to work with you, we will create awareness and capacity building in different places, we are in collaboration with different international bodies and some other countries, we will bring those expertise capacity building to Bayelsa.
“We are going to train the intending exporters on good agricultural practices, you are going to be receiving training as regard to packaging, labelling, we will work with you to develop the resources that you have in Bayelsa.”
In his address, the Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Ebiere Jones, said the state has long waited for the office of the council as it will be easy for government and the people to operate directly with exporters.
Ebiere, who represented the governor, Douye Diri, said the presence of the council will ensure that more people will be trained and get access to exporters.
He said: “What we will do as government is to intensify the awareness of the presence of the council and the need for people to go into non-oil export because as you can see Nigeria is a mono product economy.”
Earlier in her welcome address, the Bayelsa State Coordinator of the council, Mrs. Sylvia Adeneye, said the opening of the coordinating office underscores the importance of Bayelsa State in Nigeria’s export space.
She said Bayelsa with its rich natural resources, diverse cultural heritage, and enterprising people, the state holds immense potential for driving export-led economic growth.
“Through this office, we aim to harness these potentials, empower local exporters, and facilitate their access to global markets”, she said
She urged stakeholders to join hands with the Council as they strive to promote exports, create jobs, and empower Bayelsans so that together they can build a brighter future for Bayelsa and Nigeria as a whole.