Report on Non-oil Export Capacity Building Series

PDF II held a two-day capacity building training themed: “Capacity Building for Banks and DFIs”. This is designed to explore access to finance challenges, awareness campaigns, and opportunities that non-oil exporters face with banks in accessing finance. The capacity building covered topics such as Export Industry Regulations and Documentations, payment methods and trade finance instruments, Handling export finance options, managing export risks, understanding the franchising potential etc.

The Trade Policy Work Stream conducted a needs assessment to get direct feedback from export-oriented MSMEs, export-supporting government institutions, and export business service providers to ascertain the capacity gaps. The top 5 challenges highlighted by the respondents include lack of market linkages, lack of finance, lack of market intelligence, limited knowledge of destination country requirements, and Export documentation.

In response to their needs, TRD workstream designed a targeted capacity building for the non-oil export community of practice to address the knowledge and skill gaps through a 4-part Export Capacity Building (CB) Series. The following topics were covered in this sequence:

1. Market Entry strategies (with case studies: Europe (EU), US, China)
2. Raising Finance for Your Export Business
3. Understanding Export Documentation
4. Branding and Packaging for export

This is the report from a feasibility study conducted on the possibility of constructing a border post and associated infrastructure at Saki West, Oyo State. Conducted in 2012 and funded by FCDO Nigeria Policy Development Facility (FCDO-PDF).

Export Expansion Grant (EEG) was established under the Export Incentives and Miscellaneous Decrees of 1986 and amended into an Act in 1992 to accomplish the diversification agenda of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN). Other export support funds created under the same Act are the Export Development Fund (EDF) and Export Adjustment Scheme Fund (EASF). The funds have been repositioned in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of 2017-2020. The EEG is a post-shipment incentive scheme aimed to achieve three key objectives: (i) to enable exporters to expand their businesses more conveniently, (ii) make Nigeria’s non-oil export more competitive, and (iii) facilitate greater and faster foreign market penetration.

PDF II (now PDF Bridge)’s Trade Policy Workstream funded a study on “Analysis and Impact of the Export Expansion Grant on Export Potential, Market Access and Export Competitiveness in Nigeria”. This policy roundtable discussed the findings and recommendations from this study.

Trade Associations play a role in promoting appropriate policies, regulations, and necessary reforms relating to their sector of operations. They create opportunities for networking and consultations among industry players as well as being a voice when it comes to new regulations and legislations while encouraging best practices among its members. According to Peter Gomersall^[1], trade associations exist to support their members and further their interests, to defend them when they are under threats and to promote a common position on issues affecting the environment in which they operate.

Given the foregoing, the PDF Bridge Trade Policy Workstream organised a two-day capacity-building session targeted at strengthening the leadership of non-oil export-related trade associations and improve on their business strategy to position them to take advantage of the opportunities in the non-oil export value chain. The sessions had in attendance delegates from government agencies such as FMITI, NAQS, FMARD, NOTN, CBN as well as executives of trade group drawn from various industries including agricultural commodities farmers, agricultural commodities exchange and aggregators, industrialists, agro-processors, women, and youth development groups, textile and apparel among other participants.

[1] https://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/JEDS/article/download/7852/8030