OWERRI — The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has emphasized that loan and grant facilities provided by the Federal Government are crucial tools for strengthening Nigeria’s non-oil export sector.
Speaking at an engagement forum for non-oil exporters and trade-related agencies in Owerri on Wednesday, the NEPC Coordinator in Imo State, Mr. Anthony Ajuruchi, encouraged exporters to take full advantage of available soft loans and grants to scale their businesses and compete globally.
“With adequate support from government agencies, the export market in Imo and Nigeria can expand and position itself on the global stage,” Ajuruchi said.
Also at the event, the Imo/Abia State Coordinator for the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), Mr. Austin Ikeh, praised the forum as a valuable platform to connect stakeholders across the export value chain.
He highlighted ongoing collaborations with the Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) to provide more robust support to farmers and exporters, but stressed the importance of proper certification and export knowledge as prerequisites for accessing these facilities.
In his remarks, Mr. Freeman Godwin, CEO of Belarhem Dynamic International Ventures — exporters of edible food items — raised concerns about poor handling of export goods by airline operators.
“Sometimes, I’ve had to count my losses due to damage to my goods at the warehouse caused by poor preservation and management by airlines,” he lamented, adding that exporters cannot afford such setbacks when working with loan facilities.
The forum underscored the importance of capacity building, infrastructure improvement, and stronger partnerships between government and private sector players to drive export growth from Imo and beyond.
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