The Executive Director of the centre, Mrs Arancha Gonzalez, said this in Abuja at a stakeholders’ roundtable organised by the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC).
Gonzalez said such approaches would help in leveraging the potential of the country’s small and medium enterprises.
“How we can better leverage the potential of the small and medium enterprises in Nigeria. They are the bread and butter of the economic tissue of Nigeria.
“They are future engine for growth but most importantly for job creation for the many women and youths that are entering the job market.
“Today’s discussion was under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment and the Nigeria Export Promotion Council. It was about how we can better leverage this potential.
“My message was that we have to invest heavily in value addition in Nigeria, making sure that greater transformation of the excellent inputs that the country has; that there is a huge potential to be tapped into with the agro process sector”.
Also, Gonzalez said that the country must ensure that business activities develop along the strength of the country, adding that what would make Nigeria a greater nation were within the country.
On capacity building of entrepreneurs, the ITC Chief Executive promised to assist the country.
According to her, all the issues raised in the meeting in form of requests should be documented and sent to the centre for onward review and study.
On his part, Mr Olusegun Awolowo, Executive Director of NEPC, the convener of the meeting, said that the platform had availed local entrepreneurs the opportunity to ponder on the importance of value addition.
“One important thing we have put before them is training Nigerian companies so that they can bid for UN programmes.
“The UN programmes generate about $90 billion (about N15.3 trillion) yearly; no Nigerian company has been able to bid successfully, yet Nigeria contributes a lot to the UN and to peace keeping, particularly in West Africa.
“But Nigerian companies are not benefitting from supplying many things, shoes, boots everything; and we are producing and that is also part of export.
“There is specific kind of training for you to be able to participate in that bid. We are talking about getting Nigeria level to the acceptable level of packaging and standards.
“We have not been able to benefit from AGOA. Why? Because of our packaging; because of our standards.
The round table attracted participants from all agencies under the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment as well as local and foreign non-state actors. (NAN)