Fidelity Bank Plc. has said that it is training over 100 SMEs at the eighth edition of its Export Management Programme (EMP) with the aim of providing impactful, world-class support to Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Kano State.
Organised by the bank in partnership with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the Lagos Business School (LBS), the programme currently in its third year was designed specifically to enhance the competitiveness of export-oriented businesses.
The programme has since graduated over 400 entrepreneurs who have transitioned from base level export experience to becoming established exporters with extensive export market footprints.
Since the commencement of the programme in 2017, the bank had always planned to take EMP to other parts of Nigeria where there are critical mass market opportunities for exports.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the bank’s Deputy Managing Director (DMD), Mohammed Balarabe, commended the participants for enrolling for the programme, adding that it was smart investment decision in the light of emerging opportunities in the non-oil sector of the economy.
“I am very confident that your business will benefit immensely from the insights and knowledge that the programme provides, with return on investment far exceeding the financial and economic costs of the programme to you”, Balarabe said.
Commenting on the rationale behind holding this edition in Kano, Balarabe noted that the decision was borne out of the need to exploit the massive potentials of the positioning of Kano as the hub for aggregation of agro commodities in Northern Nigeria.
“Kano is the hub for agro commodity exports in Northern Nigeria and majority of these exports are done informally. We have brought this programme closer to you to fully unlock the potentials of the northern exports market and help you gain the knowledge required to increase your market access,” he said.
Speaking in the same vein, the Regional Coordinator (Northwest) for NEPC, Mr. Hassan Bala stated that the EMP 8 will help scale the capacity of existing and potential exporters to enable them participate fully in the non-oil export business in Nigeria.
(Vanguard)
