The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), has tasked solid minerals stakeholders on boosting the sector’s value chain for export competitiveness.
By Patience Aliyu
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), has tasked solid minerals stakeholders on boosting the sector’s value chain for export competitiveness.
The organisation gave the charge on Tuesday in Jos, during a capacity building programme on developing and enhancing solid minerals value chain.
Mrs Nonye Ayeni the Executive Director/CEO of NEPC, said there was a need to boost the sector’s value chain in order to achieve maximum benefits for all parties involved and the country at large.
According to Ayeni, who was represented at the event by Mrs Ngozi Ibe, Deputy Director, Solid Minerals Department of NEPC, said that the council has introduced the idea of one-state-one product, to boost the sector’s performance and help states identify and develop solid minerals deposits within their borders.
“I wish to reiterate that every state of the country has minerals deposits present on their soil, which have huge potentials for economic growth and development,” she said.
She noted, however, that these minerals, particularly in rural areas, where artisanal mining activities were sources of livelihood and economic activities, were largely unharnessed.
“We must prioritise value addition across solid minerals value chain, not only to increase export earnings, but also to create jobs for the teeming unemployed Nigerians,” she said.
Ayeni noted that NEPC was always committed to supporting stakeholders in the sector to boost their craft through export capacity building, market access, and leveraging on technology and innovation, among others.
Similarly, Mrs Julie Onmoke, North-Central Cordinator of NEPC, who noted that though Plateau was a solid mineral rich state, a lot of informal exports were taking place to the detriment of the sector’s development.
She maintained that with the sensitisation platforms being offered by the NEPC, such challenges would be tackled and better results produced from the sector.
“Plateau is a base for solid minerals no doubt, but a lot of informal export is taking place, and often we receive the Pre-shipment Inspection Agencies reports (PIA), showing that very few companies are formally exporting these solid minerals.
“Considering the number of miners we have on the Plateau, we expected to have more of them on that list, but very few are there.
“This means that a lot of informal exports are taking place, and we want to capture this data as much as possible.
“We are also here to encourage the stakeholders to avoid raw exports without any value addition because when value is added to a product, the market price also increases, thereby increasing what comes to them and to the country.
“It therefore puts the country in a better limelight, showing that we are advancing, not just exporting raw form of products” she said.
Some participants at the event commended NEPC for organising the programme, noting that it was timely and would curb unnecessary revenue losses for all stakeholders.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the participants included the state’s Ministry of Commerce, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Bank of Industry (BoI), Nigerain Geological Survey Agency (NGSA), among others. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)