The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Mr Olusegun Awolowo, has said the council’s partnership with Africa’s retail giant, Shoprite, will boost exports of Nigerian products in Africa and beyond.

He disclosed this to journalists in Abuja while receiving in his office a delegation from Shoprite.

With 75 stores expected to be opened in Nigeria within the next four years, Awolowo said he was optimistic that the NEPC working with Nigerian exporting companies would leverage the Shoprite platform to increase the basket of exportable products from Nigeria into African markets. Noting that the partnership would help meet the council’s quest to bring made-in-Nigeria products to over 15 million Nigerians in Diaspora with a view to increasing the volume and value of the country’s non-oil exports, the NEPC boss said it was going to be a win-win situation for Nigerian exporters and Shoprite.

Awolowo said, “This development is commendable and would help our exporting companies improve the quality of their products as well as build strong brands for Nigerian goods in the international market.”

He added that a Memorandum of Understanding would be considered and signed by both parties soon in order to actualise the objectives of the trade partnership.

On distribution of Nigerian goods in the international market, the General Manager, Shoprite Group, Nigeria, Mr Carl Erickson, said that the retail outlet was looking forward to expand outside of the African continent as part of strategic initiative to increase their operations and generally promote goods of African origin.

He said with the partnership initiative, Nigerian products would be in good stead to compete with other brands in the international market as Shoprite would provide a platform for promoting and marketing made-in-Nigeria products beyond the shores of the country.