NEPC Trains Women Entrepreneurs on Export Standards, Product Certification in Kano
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has trained women entrepreneurs and business owners in Kano State on product value addition, standardisation, certification and export readiness to enhance their competitiveness in international markets.
The workshop, organised by the NEPC Northwest Regional Office, focused on equipping participants with the knowledge and practical skills required to meet export standards, overcome barriers to international trade and expand their businesses beyond Nigeria’s borders.
Speaking at the workshop, the Northwest Regional Coordinator of NEPC, Hajiya Amina Abdulmalik, said the initiative was designed to engage business owners, understand the challenges affecting their products and identify opportunities for improving product value and marketability.
She explained that many entrepreneurs possess production skills but lack the technical knowledge required to enhance their products, meet international standards and access export markets.
“Part of the reason why we are here is to listen to you about your businesses, explore ways to add value to your products and identify opportunities for exportation,” Abdulmalik said.
She described the workshop as part of the Council’s sustained efforts to promote non-oil exports and contribute to Nigeria’s economic growth through the development of export-oriented businesses.
According to her, NEPC has continued to organise similar capacity-building engagements for different categories of business owners across the country to strengthen their knowledge and prepare them for participation in international trade.
Abdulmalik reaffirmed the council’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurs through training, guidance and other capacity-development initiatives aimed at addressing the challenges and barriers associated with exporting Nigerian products.
“Our doors are always open. Come to us for guidance, and we will take you through your export journey,” she said.
In her goodwill message, the founder of ImpactHER, an initiative for helping women entrepreneurs, Efe Ukala, represented by Aisha Aminu, urged women entrepreneurs to embrace continuous learning and acquire the skills necessary to improve their businesses, enhance product quality and compete in wider markets.
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She commended NEPC for its sustained efforts to support businesses through empowerment programmes, capacity building and knowledge sharing.
Ukala noted that access to relevant knowledge and practical skills enables entrepreneurs to better understand business challenges, identify emerging opportunities and develop sustainable enterprises capable of withstanding changing market conditions.
She disclosed that ImpactHER had supported more than 270,000 women across Africa over the years, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to build scalable businesses that meet global standards and remain resilient across generations.
The technical session, moderated by Hajiya Lubabatu Kabir Bello of NEPC, featured extensive discussions on participants’ products, branding, standardisation and certification, highlighting their importance in preparing businesses for export.
Participants were also guided on how to identify weaknesses in their business operations, improve product presentation and understand the certification and standardisation requirements relevant to their respective products.
The interactive session provided an opportunity for entrepreneurs to discuss their specific business challenges and explore practical approaches to improving product quality and meeting the requirements of target export markets.
One of the participants, Umar Muhammad of Sharabu Imports and Exports, a company dealing in agricultural commodities such as Hibiscus, Sesame seeds and spices, said the training had broadened his understanding of export requirements and the roles of relevant certification agencies.
“The workshop deepened our knowledge of identifying weaknesses in our businesses and the steps required to address them towards achieving standardisation,” he said.
Another participant, Hajiya Halima Abdullahi, a spice trader, described the training as a significant turning point for her business and those of other participants.
She said the opportunity to learn collectively and work in clusters would help the entrepreneurs pursue common goals, improve their products and prepare for export markets.
“This training has been my dream for the last seven years. It is gratifying that we are now grouped into clusters and trained to achieve a common goal of preparing our products for export,” she said.
The workshop underscored the importance of equipping women-led businesses with the technical knowledge, quality assurance practices and export readiness skills needed to move beyond local markets, strengthen Nigeria’s non-oil export sector and improve the competitiveness of locally produced goods.
