NANS seeks By Halima Muhammad
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) is seeking partnership with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) to train Nigerian students on export development and promotion.
The Secretary-General of NANS, Oladimeji Uthman, said this in a statement issued by the Head of Corporate Communication of NEPC,Aliu Sadeeq on Wednesday in Abuja.
Uthman spoke when he and some members of NANS visited the NEPC CEO at the council’s headquarters in Abuja.
He commended the Executive Director/CEO of NEPC, Mrs Nonye Ayeni, for her exemplary leadership qualities and passion for youth development and empowerment.
Uthman commended NEPC for its efforts to deepen the non-oil export sector and expose youth to various opportunities in the export value chain.
He said that youths, who constitute more than 60 per cent of the country’s population, could be trained and mobilised with relevant export skills to promote economic development and growth.
According to him, NANS is ready to collaborate with NEPC to implement programmes that would benefit its members and the youths of Nigeria.
Uthman also solicited for training of Nigerian students on various aspects of export of products and services from Nigeria.
“This will equip the students with necessary export skills required and make it seamless to navigate after graduation from the university,” he said.
He further proposed the establishment of export hubs in universities across the six geo-political zones, with NEPC personels giving training and mentorship to students
“The Association is confident that this initiative will provide valuable platform for connecting students and young Nigerians with relevant knowledge, expertise and institutional opportunities,” he added.
The NANS leader proposed a national summit to help train students on different aspects of export.
“The summit will have six pillars, which include training, identification, development, connectivity, exposure and skills,” he said.
Responding, Ayeni thanked the Nigerian students for the visit and described Nigerian youths as vibrant, passionate and entrepreneurial.
“Nigerian youths are part of Nigeria’s greatest strength and form a key component of the non-oil export ecosystem,” she said.
Ayeni assured NANS of the council’s readiness to collaborate with the association in promoting export development among students and young Nigerians.
She enumerated various NEPC programmes and projects targeted at youths, including the establishment of a dedicated unit for women, youths and persons living with disabilities.
She also mentioned the council’s Export Skills Acquisition Centre (ESAC) established and facilitated in partnership with LeLook Academy to train youths in garments and bag making.
“The Centre has trained more than 1000 youths since inception and has produced high quality bags which have been exported to the international markets,” she said.
Ayeni also said that NEPC organised 728 capacity-building programmes in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in 2025, and had over 10,000 beneficiaries.
The climax of the visit was the decoration of Ayeni as a National Ambassador of NANS.
On the proposed national summit, Ayeni directed the Directors of State Offices Coordinating Department, Export Incentives and Development, and Trade Information to engage with NANS in organising the programme.(NAN)
Edited by Abdulfatai Beki/Kadiri Abdulrahman
Source: News Agency of Nigeria
