Onome Amuge
The Ekiti State government and the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) have established a partnership which aims to boost the state’s agricultural value chains and significantly bolster its major crops for export.
Muyiwa Olumilua, commissioner for investment, trade and industry, while disclosing this explained that the partnership was enhanced by the state’s willingness to exploit its abundance of arable lands and farmers.
Olumilua confirmed that the ministry had met with Segun Awolowo, the executive director of the NEPC who, agreed to forge a strategic partnership with the state and also give the necessary support in achieving its goals of expanding its export capacity.
Olumilua noted that the state has the capacity and a high comparative advantage in the production of cash crops such as cassava, rice, yam, bananas, cocoa and cashew, among others.
Awolowo stated that the council is strongly driving the nation’s “zero oil plan” with the aim of transforming Nigeria’s export capacity, and drastically minimising the country’s dependence on revenue from crude oil exports.
Awolowo asserted that asides the regional office, the council had set up a field office in the state to enable it work more closely with the state’s ministry of investment, trade and industry.
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council was established in 1976 and formally implemented in March 1977 during the military regime of Olusegun Obasanjo. It is the foremost federal government agency saddled with the responsibility of promoting non-oil export and limiting the country’s oil dependency towards building a more sustainable economy.
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