Lagos — ACTING Executive Director/CEO, Nigeria Export Promotion Council, (NEPC), Alhaji Aliyu Lawal, has restated the council's commitment to making non-oil sector a significant contributor to Nigeria's Gross Domestic Produce (GDP).

He also assured that NEPC would continue to promote sustainable economic development through export.

Lawal, who gave the assurance in a keynote address at the launching of Export Skills Acquisition Programme (ESAP) organised in Lagos by NEPC, also reveals that the council was already making significant contributions towards making Nigeria one of the 20 top economies in the world by year 2020 in line with President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's seven-point agenda.

He explained that the two-day programme was aimed at developing a concrete export trade training platform for stakeholders, who are directly engaged in export.

Lawal who was represented at the occasion by the Council's General Manager (Operations), Alhaji Sabo Bello, said "through the Export Skills' Acquisition Programme, (ESAP), the Nigerian Export Promotion Council is committed to developing a more educated business community that can compete favourably with its counterparts globally.

"An informed and knowledgeable export community is not only an asset to the business, but also a springboard to economic growth and development in the country.

The programme is therefore one of the strategies NEPC is adopting in contributing its quota towards making the Nigerian economy one of top 20 economies in the world by the year 2020," he said.

He expressed hope that the programme would pave way for enhancing overall export activities in the country.

In a welcome address earlier, the Acting General Manager, NEPC headquarters, Annex, Lagos, Mrs. Omowumi Osibo enumerated the activities of the council to include promoting the development and diversification of the nation's export trade; promoting the development of export-related industries in the country as well as spearheading the creation of appropriate export incentives.

Others, she further explained, include actively articulating and promoting the implementation of export policies and programmes of the Nigerian government coordinating and monitoring export promotion activities in the country including collection and dissemination of information on products available for export, among others.