By Abdulrohim Lawal
Three of the Zamfara state locally made products has been confirmed okay for international market standard through free certification of Federal Government and other interventions of entrepreneurs.
The State Coordinator Nigeria Export Promotion Council Zamfara State Office, Yusuf Ismaila made the disclosure at an event to sensitise Business women on Promoting Women Inclusiveness and Empowerment through Non-Oil Export which held in Gusau.
Ismaila said the three Zamfara indigenous products that were now in the international market for trading due to their quality in packaging, levelling and branding to include; BG Tea, Wawo drinks and Belzanco sweet potatoes flours, while some were about to finalize the certification and other requirements to compete globally.
The State coordinator said despite economic hardships and other difficulties of life encountered by the state, the entrepreneurs in the state have benefited optimally with the Federal Government interventions and utilized it effectively.
According to him, the only source of worried is the chalet attitude of citizens as regard to the opportunities knocking at their doors, but never ready to harness them, especially the women who have special consideration.
He urged Business women to form themselves in cluster and register with Export Promotion Council for better opportunities globally. Adding that the extent of this seminar was to connect women marketers with their counterpart in the international market and to avail them with loan scheme to improve their businesses.
Also speaking, the State Coordinator Standards Organisations of Nigeria, Idris Aliyu focuses on Certification for Export, saying that for every product to be exported must meet up with the requirements of SON as the certifying body in the country.
He advised marketers to register their products and exposed them to SON for inspection and necessary counseling to enable the products go international market.
The State Permanent Secretary of Ministry for Women Affairs Hajiya Barira Ibrahim called on participants to make good use of the knowledge acquired from the workshop and avail themselves with the great opportunities to see that their products meet with global standard.
She added that destructions of the state Technology Incubation Centre by some Political thugs was inhuman and serious setback to the state development process, she said Federal Government hay taken adequate measures to revive the centre.