By Charles Nwaoguji
You must have little knowledge about the items you want to export from Nigeria to other countries.
Nigerian government through Nigerian Export Promotion Council is increasingly encouraging Nigerian industrialists, business men and women, and agriculturalists to export more non-oil products so as to grow our export index, create jobs, and in the long run stabilize Nigeria’s economy.
Some of the items already available in Nigeria are:
Cassava flour
Already we know that cassava is food for all in Nigeria because of various methods of preparing it. There is need for this in the foreign markets as the demands of well processed cassava flour is increasing both in Europe, Middle East and in America.
Cashew nuts
Almost every part of the country has the potential to produce this international commodity. Great quantity of unprocessed raw cashew nuts are exported to India, Brazil and Vietnam where they are processed into kernels and moved to the Northern America and Europe to be sold for about $2 per pound. The demands are on the increase for the consuming countries.
Chili pepper
Nigeria is blessed with good weather which supports proper growths and production of this internationally accepted pepper. If you can grow and source for the export opportunities, you are sure to get it.
Fruit juice
It may sound somewhat strange to the hearing of many that Nigeria provides export opportunity for fruit juice concentrates. Yes, we have it because Nigeria can boast of so many naturally grown fruits all over the country which provides the best of fruit juice productions in great quantities. The opportunity for Nigerian fruits export is huge in USA.
Cosmetics and soap
The demand for soap in other parts of the world is very high. Soap making, which extends to other toiletries, laundries and so on are already export opportunity waiting to be invested heavily in.
Nigeria has grown in this very important area but the only challenge holding it back is procurement of good technology to produce this in large quantity to compete favorably with other developed countries.
Ginger
This is one of the most traded spices in the world which Nigeria happens to be among the largest producers. You can start a Trans-Sahara or Trans-Atlantic trade with these goods and be making dollars on regular basis. Garlic is on top of the list of items you can export from Nigeria.
Palm kernel oil
This is the oil extracted from the pulp of palm fruit which is different from palm oil. Palm kernel oil is used for the manufacturing of various cosmetics, pharmaceutical products and confectioneries. The uses of this oil are broad and the mineral contents are said to be rich in protein for various uses. Nigeria has it quantum and makes dollars exporting it to other countries of the world.
Textiles and garments
This industry alone generates close to $32 billion in revenue in export from Nigeria. It is also a fact that unlike other products that battles with high strict rules of tests, Nigeria’s textiles enjoy duty free passage into United States where it has the largest markets in the world because of its unique designs, ethnic African designs and quality.
Cocoa butter
This is the real sources of chocolates of all types. The fruits of Cocoa is the end products of various skin care products, health products, and pharmaceutical products. The demands of Cocoa is very high in both America and UK and that.
Gallstone
This is a clay-like solid substance from gallbladder of matured cow and oxen. The size could be as big as chicken egg, it’s a hotcake for foreign pharmaceuticals because they use it for medical purposes. If one could lay his hand a good quantity of well dried gallstone about 100g that is well packaged, ready buyers are waiting for it at either Asian or American markets to give you dollars.
Rubber
Nigeria has put in place some proper Central Testing Laboratories to ensure that only certified products leave the country for Europe and America which are in dire needs of the product. Nigeria happens to be a significant producer of rubber. A cubit meter of fine quality rubber goes for between $400 and $600 presently.
Sesame seed
This may sound a bit strange if you are not from the area where it is produced in the country like Benue and Jigawa states in Nigeria. This product ranks second to cocoa in terms of export volumes and foreign exchange earnings. Nigeria is the 5th largest producer of this commodity and shipping it into foreign countries brings dollars exchange.
Honey
Pure honey is another export commodity from Nigeria to other countries. Presently, a kilogram of honey costs above $150 in the international markets. Pure natural honey contains well trace enzymes as sugar, mineral, vitamins and amino acids. A litre of honey can fetch good dollars in the foreign market.
Shrimps
The Niger Delta region in Nigeria is blessed with rich organic deposits of Shrimps. The demands of Shrimps is high in countries like Portugal, France, Belgium, Spain, Europe and USA.
Garlic
Garlic is a cash crop which is grown under irrigation by farmers in the Savanna areas in Nigeria. With internationally certified good quantities of garlic, you are sure of foreign hard currencies.
Yam Tubers
Nigeria is presently the highest producers of yam. In 2009 alone, yam export accounted for about US$450 million exchange. But due to low quality it’s saddening to know that the country is not maximizing its export potentials of this products. So there is need for prospective exporters of yam to foreign countries to adhere to quality regulations that is guarding the process. Yam farmers must take this into consideration and tap from this opportunity.
Charcoal
This is at the fore front in the international market. This product which is produced in good quantity in Nigeria with now perfected technology, has about 50% ROI.Even an individual can own a charcoal production outfit and have exporters shipping it for him. A large market for charcoal exists in ASIA, EU, and USA. A tone of this product goes for about $1000.
Cotton
This sector recently received a boost from the National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN) of N33 million to rehabilitate it. Cotton is the most natural sources of fiber and is demanded internationally.
Snail
If you can produce snails in good quantity, there is a ready market for you. Snails are hotcake in European Countries and America. The good thing about this is that it is very easy to rear as it produces rapidly with close to nothing in expenditures for feeding.
Poultry
Forget about the facts that some greedy Nigerians go about smuggling chicken into the country. When we talk about poultry, it involves all domestic birds, egg or meat.
Nigeria poultry farm products are still highly needed both within Africa and Western countries because Nigerian weather conditions for poultry farming still remains the best compared to other countries. Poultry products export from Nigeria is an avenue that is still highly untapped.
2 Chinese nabbed over substandard mobile phones
By Bimbo Oyesola
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has arrested two Chinese nationals for importing fake and substandard mobile phones into the country.
The Director General, Mr. Osita Aboloma, who was represented by the Director, Compliance, SON, Mr. Bede Obayi, at the clamp down on the office of the importer, said the agency has continued to receive numerous complaints about the KZG phones from unsuspecting consumers in the country.
“We have information on the activities of these Chinese people who are operating this KZG mobile here in Ikeja, Lagos, that people are complaining about the quality of their products and SON has to ensure that the quality of products sold in Nigeria is in compliance with the Nigeria industrial standards,” he said.
Obayi said the Managing Director of the company that refused to talk to the press had earlier accepted responsibility for the importation of the substandard phones into Nigeria.
“His attitude shows that he knows what they are doing here and they are not ready to talk, they are not ready to give us information about what they are doing here and their major warehouses. Based on the information we have gathered and what we found on ground in the office and the documentation of importation indicates that he is one of the leading suppliers of sub-standard phones in Nigeria,” Obayi said.
He added that SON will seal up the warehouse and their offices until further investigation is carried out, pointing out that the agency will stop at nothing to reduce the rate of substandard products in circulation in Nigeria.
“We decided to take this action because such phones could have lots of hazardous effect dangerous to human health. SON has the SONCAP certificate for the products imported into the country, while the products manufactured in Nigeria must have MANCAP,” he stated.
In his words: “We have seen here that these people are not genuine manufacturers. Nigerians who are using the products have complained to us about them, therefore SON has decided to clamp down on them.”
He noted that apart from sealing their warehouse, there would be an awareness to alert consumers about the dangers using these substandard phones
According to him, the two alleged suspects have been handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution, adding that the new SON act has given the agency power to prosecute erring importers.
“We hereby warn importers to ensure they obey the law of the country for the purpose of doing their business, the office is already closed and they are going with us to clarify themselves,” he stressed.
LSETF selects 1,000 for pilot phase
By Maduka Nweke
The Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), said that it has selected a minimum of 1,000 beneficiaries in the pilot stage of its loan scheme.
LSETF in a statement made available to the press said successful beneficiaries were contacted to accept loan offer letters indicating the terms and conditions guiding the loan scheme, the final process before loans are disbursed to them. The statement said once the applicants accept the terms of the offers made and open their bank accounts, disbursement of the approved amounts would be made to them.
The scheme partners it said would help with the selection, verification and disbursement of loans to beneficiaries in a professional, transparent and unbiased process. These partners include PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), a globally renowned audit firm, who verify all the applications and audit the processes. Others include organisations such as the Fate Foundation, LEAP Africa, Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI), Women in Management, Business & Public Service (WIMBIZ), National Automobile Technicians Association (NATA) and Cooperative Societies, which provided applicants for the pilot scheme through their membership. The process would thereafter be opened to the public through online application as the agency widened the scope of its beneficiary targets.
Commenting on the ongoing pilot process, LSETF’s Executive Secretary, Mr. Akin Oyebode states; “It is critical for us to test our process ahead of a full roll out. This is to ensure that we have an incident-free go-live and an unwavering confidence in our ability to deliver an unbiased, inclusive and transparent process to determine those deserving of being beneficiaries of the scheme. These are the values we hold sacred for the benefit of Lagos residents as we strive to provide access to institutional support, leverage and finance for micro, small and medium scale businesses to thrive in Lagos State.
“We are also in the process of setting up liaison offices in 20 LGAs, to bring the Fund’s activities closer to the people, and increase our points of representation to serve Lagos residents.”
The Fund is poised to provide support to at least 100,000 MSMEs; create at least 300,000 direct and up to 600,000 indirect jobs by 2019. The LSETF is also mandated to provide training and job placements for the unemployed; mentorship for SME owners and improvement of the policy environment to ensure a conducive operational environment for small businesses in the state.
Once the pilot phase is completed, the LSETF would roll out the loan schemes in all 20 Local Government Areas in Lagos State in addition to an online platform. This would be complemented with various stakeholder sessions across the 20 LGAs, where LSETF staff would educate applicants on the application process, and the eligibility criteria for our various schemes.
Dangote lauded on sponsorship of African Food Festival, Calabar
By Charles Nwaoguji
Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, last weekend, joined participants at the maiden African Food Festival, Calabar to commend Dangote Industries Ltd for sponsoring the event.
The Governor, represented by his wife, Dr. Linda Ayade, who declared the food festival open lauded the exemplary attitude of Dangote Group in sponsoring events, especially the now rested Children’s Carnival.
With the African Food Festival replacing the Children’s Carnival, she said that Dangote Group stepped in as the pioneer sponsor of the event proving that the group is truly committed to partnering all stakeholders for a better Nigeria.
Ayade said the food festival was to bring together different cuisines in Africa as the continent is very rich in tasty cuisines. She added that through the partnership of the sponsors, cuisines from different nations have been gathered in Calabar and urged all present to savour the taste of the cuisines available.
In her welcome address, the convener of African Food Festival, Calabar, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, said the food festival aims to unite all tribes in Africa through their respective cuisines. She said the maiden food festival was to showcase African dishes and culinary skills, adding that Cross River State is very rich in dishes.
Giving an insight on how the food festival evolved, she said, “in Calabar, we have our cuisine, you go to Igbo they have their cuisine, you go to Yoruba they have their cuisine, in Hausa, they have their cuisine,” stating that the idea of having all of these under one roof was sold to Governor Ayade who is open to ideas and he bought it and fused it to the Calabar festival calendar.
Ita-Giwa commended Dangote Group for its partnership, which enabled the food festival to become a reality. She said that since the cessation of Children’s Carnival, Dangote Group stopped participating in Calabar Carnival but with the introduction of food festival, the group is back. She described Dangote Group as a leader in the food industry with subsidiaries as Dangote Flour, Dangote Sugar, NASCON and Dansa as proven leaders in their respective sectors.
The convener also called on industries and investors to take advantage of the abundance of food and cuisines in Cross River and invest in the state. Investing in the state, according to her, will add value and create more jobs. Particularly, she called for investors to invest in food processing and preservative plants as the raw materials are readily available.
Participants in the food festival included the Republic of Benin and Ghana, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, market women, Cross River State and she promised the event will get better as the years go by.