The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Doris Anite said the federal government will automate the process of issuing export permits in Nigeria, particularly in the oil and gas sector.

The minister who spoke to journalists in Abuja at the Oil and Gas stakeholders meeting noted that the meeting became imperative to foster growth in the sector.

"We are all here to discuss issues around export, how to improve, and how to ensure that export proceeds come back timely and efficiently.

"It was a very fruitful discussion, we resolved a lot of issues and obstructions to service delivery in the sector. At the end of the day, we agreed to automate the sector regarding export permits.

"We have also agreed to have a single platform across all the ministries to improve the process. We also discussed the need to have a backward integrated programme to support the industrialisation in the sector, especially in the area of petrochemical development and refinement".

Also speaking at the Stakeholders meeting, the representative of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Director of Trade and Exchange, Dr. Hassan Mahmud said aside from monitoring and evaluation done by the government, there is a need for synergy with the private sector.

On his part, the Chairman of Operations and Terminal Sub Committee of the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), Wasiu Olayiwola said they will collaborate with the federal government in resolving challenges in the industry.