By Habiba Onakpa Ibrahim
In a strategic move to enhance Economic growth and unlock new development opportunities, the Kogi State Local Government Service Commission (KSLGSC) is set to partner with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC).
This collaboration is aimed at strengthening local government capacity in promoting non-oil exports, job creation, and rural economic development across the 21 local government areas of the state.
The initiative is part of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo’s broader economic diversification agenda, which focuses on harnessing the vast agricultural and mineral resources of the state, improving local productivity, and enhancing the competitiveness of Kogi-made products in regional and international markets.
Speaking at the meeting held in His office on Tuesday, The Chairman Kogi State Local Government Service Commission, Hon Adams Adabenege,expressed optimism about the partnership. He stated:
“This partnership will position our local governments as key players in national export promotion strategies. With NEPC’s technical expertise and support, we aim to train our staff, identify viable local products, and develop value chains that can generate income for our communities and Kogi State at large.”
The Kogi State Coordinator, NEPC, Mr Usenide Abiekpeno and The Director General, Commodity Exchange, Export Promotion and Market Development Agencies, Hon. Victor Omofaye, in their separate speeches assured the Commission that the collaboration is set to take Kogi State from Zero to the Apex of Export thereby giving credits to the relevant quarters where these Commodities are gotten and also placing Kogi State permanently on the International Commodity Market.
They also noted that, local government involvement is crucial to achieving Nigeria’s non-oil export targets under the Zero Oil Plan.
“Kogi State is rich in exportable products, from cashew nuts, sesame seeds, charcoal, highly sought after rice brands, not also forgetting the high deposits of solid minerals.
By working with the local government system, we can improve production quality, compliance with international standards, and facilitate access to global markets,” they added.
Key areas of focus in the partnership include:
Capacity building and training for local government staff on export promotion strategies
Establishment of various key Amenities for processing and packaging the products
Support for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and local producers to access international markets. This include the the step taken by the state government to bring in some banks which specialises in giving out funds or Equipments to aid local production. Such banks include, The bank of Agriculture and the Bank Of Industry.
Community sensitization on the benefits of non-oil exports
Development of rural infrastructure to support export logistics
This partnership is expected to create thousands of jobs, boost internally generated revenue (IGR) at the local level, and empower grassroots communities to play a more active role in national economic transformation.
