Governor Biodun Oyebanji has revealed the readiness of his administration to ensure the export of products from the state to the global market.The governor noted that his administration would continue to provide the enabling environment through policies and programmes for business owners to thrive and make Ekiti a prosperous state.Oyebanji spoke on Tuesday while declaring open a two-day training for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises(MSMEs) on the Export Accelerator Programme organized by the state Ministry of Trade, Industry, Investment, and Cooperatives in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.The governor noted that the MSMEs remain key components of the state’s economy, adding that the administration would continue to create the platform and knowledge for them to market their products to the international community.Oyebanji who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Oyeniyi Adebayo said that the products when properly identified, packaged, and exported would help the entrepreneurs and the state to earn foreign exchange.According to him, the state export policy document released by the government last year was aimed at increasing non-oil exports through priority sectors for the products to meet international standards, commending the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Investment, and Cooperatives for coming up with the policy document.He said, “For our MSMEs which are the backbone of our economy, being export-ready is no longer optional; it is essential for economic growth and resilience. Ekiti State must therefore actively participate in non-oil export if we are to diversify our economy, reduce dependence on traditional revenue sources, and create prosperity for our people.“Through initiatives like the Export Accelerator Program, we are bringing this policy to life. We are equipping our entrepreneurs with the knowledge and tools to meet global quality requirements, understand export documentation and compliance, identify profitable markets, and form strategic linkages with buyers and partners.”The governor urged the participants to take advantage of the training, saying, “Think beyond our domestic boundaries and see the world as your market.”Speaking, the commissioner for Trade, Industry, Investment and Cooperatives, Mrs Omotayo Adeola said the Oyebanji-led administration is committed to exposing the products of business owners in the state to the global market for economic growth.Adeola revealed that the export policy document designed by the ministry would in no small measure provide the needed framework for the numerous products from the state to be shipped abroad, ” to strengthen Ekiti’s place in the global trade arena.”She said the participants during the two-day training would be exposed to the technical knowledge, opportunities, and linkage needed to penetrate the foreign market.The Director General of the Ekiti State Development and Investment Promotion(EKDIPA)Lolade Olutona said the training would help in improving the state’s economy through the exposure of the products to the global market, saying, “MSMEs are the livelihood of any state and improving their marketability to the world will mean more money in the economy”.The state coordinator of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) Mrs Emely Otoide expressed the readiness of the council to collaborate with the state government and the MSMEs in ensuring the products from Ekiti are exported to the international communities and markets towards economic development.
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