Agency Trains Entrepreneurs On Textile, Clothing and Leather Exports
By: Emmanuel Tortiv & Halima Farouk
The Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA) has trained some key Small and Medium Enterprises across the Federal Capital Territory on how to manage and export Textile, Clothing and Leather.
The Acting Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer, Abuja Enterprise Agency, Mr. Chudi Ugwuada-Ezirigwe, who spoke during event, described export business as a catalyst for overall economic growth and development of any nation as it creates robust avenues for substantial foreign exchange earnings which promotes a healthy and sustainable Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The training was organized by the Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA) in collaboration with the German International Co-operation (GIZ) as well as the Nigerian-German Center for Migration and Development (ZME).
Ugwuada-Ezirigwe charged the trainees to take advantage of the Agency’s FCT MSME One-Stop Shop housed within the AEA Complex by the Federal Government with the sole aim of improving the Ease of Doing Business by reducing to the barest minimum some of the bottlenecks.
His words:
“It may interest you to know that the One-Stop-Shop consists of operational desks of 16 Regulatory and Finance Institutions, who serve and support SMEs such as yours through the provision of relevant certifications, licences and finance.”
“Organizations represented at the One-Stop- Shop include the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), the Nigeria Export Import (NEXIM) Bank, NAFDAC, SON, CAC and ACCI as well as a host of others, whose services might be required in your quest for success in the Global Market,” he added.
In her brief remarks at the occasion, the Head of Programme, Nigerian-German Center for Migration and Development, Mrs. Sandra Vermuijten-Alonge, expressed pleasure at the hosting of the training.
She said the training was one of several other programmes that the GIZ has been collaborating with the Nigerian Government for over 50 years on behalf of the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development.
Vermuijten-Alonge said the bulk of Nigerian youths in West Africa and other countries are working mainly engaged in trades with lots of opportunities for promoting made in Nigeria products.
She said the training was also aimed at bridging the gap in trade agreement between Nigeria and other countries in Europe, America and other regions of the World.
Vermuijten-Alonge said GIZ intended to do more moving forward in helping to bridge the gap by collaborating with AEA for more of such training.
One of the Trainees, Elvis Necus-Agba, a Development and IT Consultant with lots of clients in the United States told Abuja Digest Newspaper that most of his clients overseas want to go into trading in businesses beyond IT.
He said he came to learn and his expectations were generally met.
In another development, the Agency has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Doveland Group of Schools in Abuja to advance entrepreneural training to students of the college.
