With 75 stores expected to be opened in Nigeria within the next 4 years, the Executive Director/CEO of Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) says the Council’s partnership with Africa’s retail giant, Shoprite will boost exports of Nigerian products in Africa and beyond.
Mr. Awolowo who disclosed this yesterday in Abuja while receiving in his office a delegation from Shoprite said he was optimistic that the NEPC working with Nigerian exporting companies would leverage on the Shoprite platform to increase the basket of exportable products from Nigeria into African markets.
He noted that 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.
According to the Awolowo “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 also stated that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be considered and signed by both parties in the nearest future, to actualize the objectives of the trade partnership.
On the distribution of Nigerian goods in the international market, Mr. Carl Erickson General Manager of Shoprite Group, Nigeria, said that the Group is looking to expand outside of the African continent, as part of a strategic initiative to increase their operations and generally promote goods of African origin.
He pointed out that with the partnership initiative, Nigerians 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.
On logistical support, the Technical Consultant to Shoprite, Mr. Kabir Shagaya MD of Zippy Logistics, noted that there was the need to ensure seamless transportation of chosen products to be sold in Shoprite outlets across Africa, given the infrastructural challenges currently being witnessed in the sector.
Shoprite currently operates about 2, 689 outlets in 15 African countries including Nigeria and the Indian Ocean Islands. In Nigeria alone, Shoprite is presently employing over 6, 000 Nigerians in her 35 sales points across 15 States of the Federation.