NEPC trains non-oil exporters in S/East on current trends in e-commerce; urges non-oil exporters to take advantage of program

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), South East Regional Office has organised a one-day training program on current trends in E-commerce for non-oil exporters from the region.

Mrs Esther Ikporah, the South East Regional Coordinator of NEPC said this on Wednesday on the occasion of training programme on “current trends in e-commerce” for non-oil exporters in Enugu.

Speaking while declaring the event open, NEPC South East Regional Coordinator, Mrs Esther Ikporah said the training was in line with the current global trends on digital trading.

According to her, the NEPC was the Federal Government of Nigeria’s apex institution for the promotion, development and diversification of exports.

She said: “NEPC has over the years worked to achieve its mandate by coordinating and harmonising export development and promotion activities in the country, taking the lead in all national export programs; and interfacing with international trade agencies on cooperation and capacity building.

“At NEPC, we recognise that the advent of smartphones and internet usage in the world has changed the way we do business, replacing the traditional marketplace with a technology driven platform where trading is virtual and easily accessible to anyone with internet service.

“This has created an e-commerce industry driven by a fast-growing youth population and dominated by brands like Amazon and AliExpress.”

Ikporah said that while e-commerce was growing at an unprecedented rate in other parts of the world, “it has failed to reach its full potential in Nigeria.”

“Consequently, the South East Regional Office, Enugu, has organised this training program for non-oil exporters in Enugu to key into the latest trends in e-commerce and catch up with their counterparts abroad.

“It is hoped that at the end of today’s programme, participants would be better prepared to venture into the international market and export quality non-oil product and services from Nigeria using e-commerce tools, ” Ikporah said.

A resource person, Mr Tony Odukwe, an expert in e-commerce said the advent of internet trading has made export business easy.

Odukwe told participants to make use of internet services to take their export trade to a higher level.

“With internet trading the sky is your beginning and not your limit, ” he said

Also speaking, Dr Pauline Obianuko, State Coordinator of Raw Materials Research and Development Council, Enugu advised participants to make use of the training by NEPC to grow their export businesses.

She said that her door was opened for entrepreneurs from the zone to take advantage of the council’s services.