40 Anambra Youths Benefit from 2-Day Training on Agricultural Products Export

By Praise Chinecherem

Over forty young men and women in Nibo community, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State have been trained on how to export various agricultural products to Nigerians living outside the country.

The two-day training themed; “Nibo to the world: Driving Diaspora Export from Nigeria” was organized by Institute of Export Operations and Management, IEOM, and sponsored by an illustrious son of the town, Chief Dr Innocent Akuvue.

The training according to the IEOM, Executive Secretary Dr Ofon Udofia, was to ensure that indigenes of Nibo and other persons of Igbo extraction who live abroad have access to same foods as those within the country, while also creating job opportunities for unemployed youths in the community.

“We want to start feeding our people abroad as if they are living in Nibo. We thank the former PG, Chief Dr Innocent Akuvue, who has sponsored this. He has assured them that he will do everything possible to make sure that they export.

“Another essence is that we want to use export to remove a lot of unemployed youth from the streets, and that is what he has intended doing, and also to empower the economy.

“We want to expose Nibo to the world. I have an assurance that these young men and women will not fail us because the market is already there.

Udofia urged the youths to form a cooperative to enable them get export licence that empowers them to go into exporting local food items to Nibo indigenes in the Diaspora.

“With the licence, we start packaging and producing their products to send Nibo persons in the diaspora and by extension to every other Igbo person that will be there who wants to eat as if he’s living in his village.

“I’m even happy that the state governor is a finance person, and one-time governor of CBN. He will understand my language better and faster.

“If the state government can partner with other communities and partner with the institute, we have a platform preparing students to understand export.

“No university in Nigeria offers export as a course. If government helps the students to be self-reliant, getting thousands of Anambra youths are into export, it will be to the advantage of the state,” Udofia submitted.

The President General of the town, Professor Tony Nwokoye, urged the beneficiaries of the training not to waste the rare opportunity given to them.

“This indeed is a rare and I urge them to maximize it. Sometimes, youths complain that they have no job and no one is helping.

“Nobody can help you when you have not made efforts to trigger such help. Noone would help somebody who will waste the money given and go about castigating the benefactor.

“Our people are very dynamic. They’re very philanthropic in nature. They’re always willing to help. But you have to show that you deserve the help.

The State Coordinator, Nigeria Export Promotion Council. Mr Peter Udom, lauded the training modules expressing optimism that the youths will optimize the benefit of the training.

“I’m happy what IEOM, Institute of Exports and Operations Management and the GGI Limited are doing, connecting Nibo to the world.

“Sensitizing the youths to mainstream their products and stimulate production both agro products, semi-processed, processed, and even services to the world.

“I call on the state government to, number one, to make sure that the farms are safe because if you want to go into agro exports, the first player in the value chain are the farmers.

“If the farming environment is not safe, how will there be products to exports?

“Also, this is a program that is enlightening the youth on the essence of food safety. In Europe and other parts of the world, food safety is key.

“We have been able to put them through to certification, the stages they have to undertake before they can be export-ready.

“So, it now lies on the participants and the senior citizens in Nibo, both at home and in the diaspora to ginger them, to get export-ready, get all documents that will enable them to be able to go global.

“I believe, by God’s grace, before December, with the efforts of IEOM GGI Limited and other partners, Nibo must be able to export to the world.

The beneficiaries, including the Youth leader, Obinna Agunwa, Secretary, Obiora Ozoemena and Chinenye Nnadozie, were all thankful to IEOM and their benefactor, former PG for the intervention.

They promised not to betray the confidence reposed in them. “It’s a very, very impactful training.

“So we have learnt how to source our products, package, and send to our people in the diaspora. Sourcing the products and funding may pose a challenge but we are capable and determined to take on the challenges,” Agunwa said.

Obiora Ozoemena spoke in the same vein. “In fact, I’m so much surprised that things we underrated can bring a lot of profits. This training opened my eyes. The next thing is stepping it down to others, and also getting more sponsors like Ochudo Nibo.

Chinenye Nnadozie, said, “I have been able to learn how to expand my business, how we can export our products to our brothers and sisters abroad.

“Coming together as a community, we can achieve greater things through this process.

“We don’t need to start with much capital because we have someone that can help us in the packaging. Rather we only need to come together as a community that we want to achieve this and we shall get it done,” Nnadozie concluded.