The Nigerian Export Promotion Council has issued 10 free export certificates to clusters of Persons Living With Disabilities in Kano as part of efforts to increase their participation in Nigeria’s non-oil export sector.
The certificates were presented during an export enlightenment training organised for 50 PLWDs in the state, where participants were exposed to export procedures, access to international markets and available government incentives.
The NEPC North-West Zonal Coordinator, Hajiya Amina Abdulmalik, said the initiative was designed to remove barriers that often prevent persons with disabilities from accessing formal trade opportunities.
She explained that obtaining an NEPC certificate was essential for exporters seeking to take their products outside Nigeria, making the free certificates an incentive for the beneficiaries to formalise and improve their businesses.
“Without an NEPC certificate, there is no way your products can get out of the country. So we are giving 10 certificates to clusters of persons with disabilities as encouragement, and to help package their products to meet international standards,” Abdulmalik said.
She said PLWDs possessed skills capable of competing in international markets, particularly in areas such as agro-processing, handicrafts, fashion, information and communication technology and creative services.
Abdulmalik stressed that integrating persons with disabilities into the export economy should be viewed as an economic strategy rather than charity.
“Inclusion is not charity, it is strategy. An inclusive export sector is a stronger export sector. It creates jobs, earns foreign exchange, and builds a Nigeria where no one is left behind,” she said.
The National President of the Association of People with Disabilities Applicants and Coordinator of the Disability Project Initiative, Saifullahi Mukhtar Sadiq, described the intervention as a significant opportunity for the disability community.
He said persons with disabilities were frequently overlooked in economic programmes but expressed optimism that the training and certificates would help change public perceptions about their economic capabilities.
“Most of the time, people do not even care to think of us. But NEPC has carried us along and is now training 50 of our members. This intervention will change the narrative that persons with disabilities are only subjects of charity or street beggars. We will now participate in Nigeria’s economic growth,” Sadiq said.
The Kano Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, represented by Tijjani Abdullahi Sarki, also welcomed the initiative and pledged to support the beneficiaries beyond the training.
Sarki said KACCIMA would assist participants in connecting with financial institutions, regulatory agencies such as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, as well as international business networks.
“Whenever persons with disabilities approach KACCIMA, we are ready to give them all necessary assistance, from enlightenment to processing of documents,” he said.
He added that the programme would help remove some of the barriers preventing persons with disabilities from participating fully in the organised private sector.
