Over forty young men and women in Nibo community, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State have undergone training on how to export various agricultural produce to Nigerians living outside the country.
The two-day training, which was organized by the Institute of Export Operations and Management, IEOM, and sponsored by an illustrious son of the town, Dr Innocent Akuvue, had as its theme; “Nibo to the world: Driving Diaspora Export from Nigeria”.
The training, according to the IEOM, Executive Secretary, Dr Ofon Udofia, is to ensure that indigenes of Nibo and other persons of Igbo extraction who live abroad have access to the same foods as those within the country, while also creating job opportunities for unemployed youths in the community.
He said the initiative is aimed at feeding Igbo people abroad as if they are living in Igboland.
“Another essence is that we want to use export to remove a lot of unemployed youth from the streets, and that is what he Dr Akuvue, who sponsored the training, intended to do, 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,” he stated.
Udofia urged the youths to form a cooperative to enable them to get an export license that empowers them to go into exporting local food items to Nibo indigenes in the Diaspora. “With the license, 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 a 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 to prepare students to understand export.
“No university in Nigeria offers export as a course. If the 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, but to maximize it.
According to him, nobody would help somebody who will waste the money given and go about castigating the benefactor.
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.
He said sensitizing the youths to mainstream their products and stimulate production of both agro products, semi-processed, processed, and even services to the world, will earn them their dream life.
He called on the state government to ensure that the farms are safe.
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.
