Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Executive Director of Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mrs Nonye Ayeni, and the Obi-of-Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, have urged residents of South-East to embrace export business to grow Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and reduce poverty in the region.
The Executive Director made the call in a keynote during a four-day Export Business Roundtable South-East 2025 with the theme: “South-East Nigeria’s Export Future: Trends, Opportunities and Challenges,” being held in Enugu.
Ayeni noted that the four-day forum would be exploring the pathways of unlocking South-East export potentials where participants would leverage on networking, connectivity, technology and digital marketing to bring best quality export commodities to the world.
She noted that the zone has abundant agricultural products grown in the best organic farming tradition, which is highly sought for internationally and “what is needed is to expand such commodities to commercial quantities.”
“South-East has great potential for export business as everything done here is done naturally and highly sought for internationally; and all we need to do is to educate our people on export business and mentor them to success.
“A lot of international cash crops, notwithstanding our natural minerals, are abundant here and even our vegetables in the South-East are in high demand globally.
“From available studies, the zone has the capacity to lead other zones in export business and turn the poverty around us to land of plenty for all and make the zone an export hub.
“Every single individual needs to go back to the farm and be serious with agriculture and do it in the best international practice for the agricultural produce to meet international specification,” she said.
Ayeni noted that the NEPC would provide technical and mentorship assistance to struggling and aspiring exporters in the South-East, international certification and any other assistance possible to ensure the zone grows in export business.
Earlier, the Obi-of-Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, called on the people to embrace export business with “the usual industry and innovation the people of the zone is known for.”
Achebe noted that “as we (South-East people) are leading in commerce nationwide, it is good we also lead in export business by bringing out our spirit of enterprise and quick adaptation.”
He urged participants to be focused and take notes, as the message being passed would benefit their people in their various communities and everybody around them as more hands are required to meet ever-increasing international export demands.
“I commend the organisers of this roundtable and the NEPC for investing in bringing knowledge and pathways to a successful and gainful export business to our people,” he said.
Dr Queen Okpa, Chief Executive Officer of DGC Express, said that every resident of the South-East must look inward, and the forum would bring about networking and connectivity needed for exportable product aggregation for better teamwork and understanding.
Okpa noted that once the South-East gets export business right, Nigeria will get it right, adding that it was good to abide by best international practice of organic agriculture to attract gains of carbon credit to our farms as well.
The Chairman of Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Samuel Asadu, said that all levels of government, communities and individuals should key into the export business to ensure that all available land in South-East would be well utilised.
Asadu, represented by Igwe Uchenna Anikwe, the Traditional Ruler of Diogbe Community, noted that with massive cultivation of the land to meet local and export commodities demands; there would be no forest or space lying unoccupied in the zone.
He said, “When state and local governments convert available forests to agricultural sites, those committing heinous crimes and hiding in the forests will see nowhere to hide and they cannot easily commit the atrocities in towns where everybody lives.
“If we take advantage of this event and what we have been exposed to, I sincerely believe that with or without Federal allocations, all states within the zone can strive and her people will be more productive to earn enviable living.”
The Export Business Roundtable, which is being organised by NEPC and Denca Global Courier Services Ltd, would feature export clinics for each of the five South-East states, namely: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.
It would also feature Export Creative Day, which is a special showcase of exportable creative products and the role of the creative industry in export diversification.
