WLBC Export Cluster Cooperative

26/07/2022

Nigeria and shipping industry launch strategy to eliminate Gulf of Guinea piracy threat https://t.co/LuAjD9nQCb via

The Government of Nigeria and shipping stakeholders have launched a strategy to end piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG). Despite a 60% decline in piracy-related attacks, following increased counter-piracy efforts, all reported crew kidnappings in 2021 were reported in the Gulf of Gu...

23/03/2020

Stakeholders meeting on trade facilitation organized by the Nigerian Ports Authority earlier today at the swanky Peemos Hotel and Resort GRA Esisi, Warri. In attendance were representatives of the Nigerian Customs Service, NDLEA, ANCLA, the Nigerian Shippers Council, Delta Shippers Association and WACCIMA. One of the key areas of interest was to sensitize stakeholders on the need of a single window for a seamless interphase for the benefit of shippers. Another issue was identify challenges to the Presidential Executive Order 1 on the Ease of Doing Business. Progress thus far since inception of this seminar 3years ago was also reviewed. This two day event will continue at the same venue tomorrow at 10.30am. Interested persons are encouraged to attend. There's a strict adherence to sanitisation before entry

01/10/2019

On behalf of the President of WECC , Governing board and Exco, HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, may this auspicious occasion marina turning point in ALL your endeavours

21/09/2019

19/09/2019

Are you Export ready? Find out your current status.

Follow the link to NEPC's export readiness checker to do the test.

https://nepc.gov.ng/get-started/export-readiness-checker/

14/09/2019

17/08/2019

Have you ever wondered what an Inland Dry Port (IDP) is? Well, A Dry Port (aka Inland Container Depot ICD) is an inland hub for handling cargo, which is connected directly with the sea port by rail or by road.

30/07/2019

Innovation

20/07/2019

Nigeria: Coffee - Plateau's Untapped Gold Mine;

The few commercial coffee farmers in Plateau State believe the crop has huge potentials and when harnessed properly, could form part of the state's economic mainstay. Presently, this is hardly achievable because most of the farmers are peasant and have to contend with several challenges including diseases, lack of off takers, insecurity, poor yield as well as how to water the plant during the dry season.

Coffee is a perennial crop and grows twice a year when the plant is properly nurtured and watered throughout the year. But right now, the crop is only harvested once a year in Plateau State.

The farmers store their coffee beans in air tight containers and have been encouraged by Dung David Dayi, a consultant and processor to not only use a variety of organic manure but to sterilise sharp objects used in pruning trees so that diseases are not transferred from one tree to the next.

When asked about the application of fertilizer, Chayi made a repulsive expression and explained that manure was the best option as fertilizer could definitely fasten the growth of the tree but could also affect the coffee taste.

He said chemicals are used to spray the leaves against diseases, but Dayi who is also the Jos North Chairman of the National Coffee Association in the state has continued to convince farmers to instead go organic by using garlic, pepper and ginger mixed in water. "When you spray the mixture on the coffee leaves, it dries out the insects that may have perched on the leaves and that way, you can ensure that the coffee would pass laboratory tests and compete favourably in the international market," said Dayi.

Most of Plateau's coffee farmers have in the last 10 years abandoned the crop to pursue other crops for mostly what they described as the lack of assistance and investors to add to the value chain.

"Some even uprooted their trees because there was no assistance from government and no buyers. Because of the lack of off-takers and insecurity, other farmers had branched into other crop production that they feel could earn them instant money," said Chayi.

Cullled from Daily Trust

17/07/2019

When you hear about the Maritime Industry, what exactly comes to your mind? Do you just picture a ship? Or do you imagine goods coming in from different parts of the World? If that is what comes to your mind, you're on track; nevertheless here are some additional facts about the Maritime Industry:

1) Shipping drives the world's economy- 90% of all goods are transported by ships. People all around the world are highly reliant on exports and imports of shipping.

2) Shipping is safe- shipping was one of the first industries to adopt widely implemented international safety standards. And to this day, it is still more heavily regulated than other industries; with agencies such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) setting standards for safer, more environmentally friendly shipping.

3) Container ships are even more powerful than you might think- Engines on container ships can exceed 100,000HP in power, roughly 1,000 times more than an average car.

4) Shipping has influenced the English language- Although many people may not realize it, there are many maritime expressions that have found their way into everyday language. Sayings such as “learning the ropes”, "on deck", “at close quarters”, and “high and dry” all have nautical origins.

5) World Maritime Day- Since 1978, the IMO has organized World Maritime Day. This is celebrated with a series of events and activities, and looks ahead at the future of the industry. This year, World Maritime Day will take place on September 28, how will you mark the occasion?

How has the Maritime Industry being of help to you? Please share your experience, concerns or advice below.

25/06/2019

The WACCIMA/NEPC Export workshop was a resounding success.

Well attended and properly conducted.

25/06/2019

IITA, UPL introduce herbicide for cassava w**d control;

In a bid to provide total farm solution to agriculture in Nigeria, UPL, an agrochemical conglomerate, has collaborated with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and Springfield Agro to introduce ‘Lifeline’, a pre-emergence herbicide for w**d management and control on cassava farms.

At the launch of the product in Ibadan, Oyo State, the Country Manager, UPL, Shani Srivastava said the herbicide was a broad spectrum non-selective, non-residual post-emergent herbicide that is effective on a wide range of annual and perennial w**ds covering broadleaves and grasses.

“UPl ‘Lifeline’ has an excellent burn-down of wide range of w**ds with minimum resurgence, unique contact action and nominal systemic action, making it a product of choice among non-selective herbicides.”

He said it has no residue on soil or clay particles, hence it is safe to succeeding crops. “Lifeline will be a perfect replacement for paraquat which has been banned in many countries and is by all means the best alternative for countries facing regulatory problems on glyphosate,” he added.

Managing Director of Springfield, Tarun Das, said with the launch of Lifeline Herbicide, one of the major problems hindering agriculture was being addressed in the country.

Das highlighted that in the past, the agrochemical market in Nigeria was about %70 to 75 million, but today it has increased to about $300 million, which shows that there is a huge reliance on agro-chemicals in Nigeria. However, according to him, “the industry is not yet what it should be, especially in terms of farmer’s yields so there is an urgent need to help farmers with our technologies to improve yields, hence the introduction of this lifeline solution.”

Bukar Usman, The Director of Veterinary Medicine and Allied Products Directorate of the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) appreciated IITA and other stakeholders and expressed delight on how UPL had come up with the solutions.

18/06/2019

・・・
Are you a female Entrepreneur, are you active in the Shea beauty products market?

The ITC SheTrades in the Commonwealth project, funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), is organizing a 2-day workshop on packaging for Shea beauty products.
The workshop is for Women entrepreneurs active in the shea beauty products and willing to improve their packaging to differentiate their products and enter new market places.

Objectives

Poor packaging and labelling is one of the main reasons for the failure of locally manufactured products to compete favourably with imported ones. Improving packaging will help you better protect your product, improve the perception by customers, strengthen your brand, enter new market places, and ultimately improve the competitiveness of your company and increase your market shares.

The objective of this workshop is to provide guidance to women-owned companies in the Shea beauty sector on appropriate packaging systems contributing to improve their efficiency, profitability and the sustainability of their business.

This training will mix packaging knowledge and good practices with tools and methodologies on how to improve your packaging system.

Dates:

Session 1: Tuesday 25 June 2019
Session 2: Wednesday 26 June 2019
Time: 08:30 – 16:00

Application Format

All interested women entrepreneurs in the Shea beauty products should register on

http://es4b.org/app/view.php?id=184533 *Kindly note that the workshop is reserved to members fully registered on the SheTrades in the Commonwealth platform. To be considered for the workshop, please visit
https://shetradescommonwealth.converve.io/registration.html
to register in the SheTrades in the Commonwealth online platform.
Deadline for submission of applications is Monday, 17 June 2019 at 12 noon.
For any enquiries, please contact [email protected], with the subject line - PACKAGING WORKSHOP ON SHEA BEAUTY PRODUCTS

11/06/2019

This is the updated version of the previously uploaded poster, with the correct times.

10/06/2019

Training and workshop

The African Union Commission (AUC), the secretariat of the AU has allocated funds in addition to contributions from development partners towards procurement for works, goods and services in large scale for both the headquarters and its regional offices. The AU laws set out minimum harmonized public procurement rules to create a level playing field for all businesses. These rules organize the way public authorities and certain utility operators purchase goods, works and services. They are transposed into national legislation and apply to tenders whose monetary value exceeds a certain amount. For tenders of lower value, national rules apply. Nevertheless, these national rules also have to respect the general principles of AU laws.

It is worrisome to state that even though Nigeria is a member of this great body, the Nigerian companies are yet to benefit from the Commission’s procurement programme. In the light of the above, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) is organizing this capacity building workshop in Enugu, Lagos and Kano to mobilize Nigerian companies/entrepreneurs and equip them to register and join the African Union procurement network.

The objectives of this workshop are

👉 To create awareness on the African Union Procurement System and Requirements.

👉To mobilize the registered companies to be part of the African Union procurement network

👉To enlighten exporters on requirements for joining the AU procurement Network thereby increasing international exposure and access to new markets

👉To increase foreign earnings into the Nigerian economy

Targeted Participants:

👉Companies with financial capacity to supply AU Commission

👉Members of State Chambers of Commerce

Please find dates, venues and times on the flyer. Thanks

For more information contact : Mr Ayodele Sunday
0803 313 8304

07/06/2019

BREAKING: Nigeria’s Total Trade hits N8.24 trillion in Q1 2019;

Nigeria’s total trade hits N8.24 trillion in the first quarter of 2019, according to the latest foreign trade report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

According to the NBS report, the value of total imports rose 3.39% in Q1 2019 when compared to Q4 2018. It also increased by 25.84% over the corresponding quarter of 2018.

Similarly, the value of total exports in Q1 2019 increased by 1.78% against the level recorded in Q4, 2018. It, however, decreased by 3.90% against its value in Q1, 2018.

The value of total exports was N4.54 trillion within the quarter
Imports increased by 3.39% to N3.70 trillion
Trade Surplus stood at N831.62 billion

02/06/2019

Very sad

MAN decries importation of 5 million metric tonnes of bitumen;

By Gabriel Ewepu

THE Miners Association of Nigeria, MAN, have decried the importation of 5 million metric tonnes of bitumen into the country. In an interview with Vanguard, National President, MAN, Kabir Kankara, said the latest importation was the highest on the importation chart as at April 2019.
Kankara, who lamented the huge loss of foreign exchange by the country, said: “If over 5 million metric tonnes of bitumen has been imported into the country as at April this year, that means so much revenue has been lost, huge foreign exchange lost when we have large deposits of the commodity.
Due to lack of technology, adequate funding and other interventions, the country is losing billions of dollars through importation of bitumen. In fact, it is not encouraging, but it is sad news to us. What we expect is enough production for local use and for export as well, instead of importing bitumen. “We, therefore, charge the government to move fast and stop this importation by encouraging miners in the country to do what is expected in the bitumen industry in order to curb importation and boost the economy.
“That is why we have to go back to the realities of issues affecting the solid minerals sector. Let us have access to modern equipment and government intervention, and that would enable us partner with the government to exploit the minerals we have in this country.” In a related development, the Small Scale, Artisanal Miners Association of Nigeria, SAMAN, has vowed to fight and stop illegal flight of solid minerals from the country. The National Chairman of SAMAN, Nasiru Wada, said: “There have been issues in the sector dating back to decades that have not been addressed; those are the things we set out to address by engaging government and all other stakeholders nationally and internationally to move the sector forward. “Small Scale, Artisanal Miners Association of Nigeria, SAMAN, is primarily concerned with the socio-economic development of the small scale mining subsector and the entire mining industry.