Ojukwu Urges South-East SMEs To Embrace ECOWAS Trade Initiatives

MThe Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Ojukwu, has urged Southeast Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to embrace ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) to boost their businesses.

Ojukwu made the call at a one-day sensitisation workshop on ETLS, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja ECOWAS National Unit, on Tuesday, in Enugu.

The theme of the workshop was “Increasing Intra-Regional Trade Through ETLS”.

Ojukwu described the initiative as timely, saying “it speaks directly to the urgent task of deepening regional integration to expand cross-border trade, and empower SMEs to enable them to take their rightful place in the vast West African market”.

According to her, the workshop is to create awareness amongst a large number of manufacturers, including owners of SMEs in Enugu and South-East on the benefits inherent in ETLS.

She listed the benefits to include access to new markets and generation of foreign exchange for manufacturers.

The minister also described SMEs as the engine room of the economy, adding that it generates employment, stimulates innovation, and drive inclusive prosperity.

She said that strengthening them was not merely a local concern but a regional imperative.

“As the oldest operational trade policy of ECOWAS, it underpins the free movement of goods and services, complements the protocol on free movement of persons and anticipates the broader framework of the African continental free trade.

“The ETLS is not just a technical instrument but a strategic pillar of West Africa’s integration agenda.

“In essence, ETLS is both a gateway and a test case for Africa’s economic renaissance.

“For Nigeria, as the largest economy in the region, leadership in this process is not optional.

“The true measure of success lies not in Abuja or Lagos alone but in how effectively local entrepreneurs, our traders, manufacturers and innovators are enabled to compete and thrive regionally,” Ojukwu said.

She further said that the workshop was about democratising opportunity, equipping SMEs with the knowledge and networks to transcend the local boundaries and embrace the wider West African market.

She described Enugu, under Gov. Peter Mbah, as “a model for how South-East can align local dynamism with continental ambitions as his leadership is fostering innovation and enterprise, in line with the objectives of the ECOWAS scheme”.

Also speaking, the governor hailed the import and impact of the scheme on abilities and opportunities availablef or businesses to take advantage of and thanked Ojukwu for hosting the initiative in Enugu.

Mbah, represented by Deputy Gov. Ifeanyi Ossai, acknowledged the benefits of the scheme and warned that globalisation should not be allowed to suffocate local businesses.

He recalled how many industries that were doing well in Nigeria folded up, saying, “when people who oppose globalisation or have concerns about it, they are not absolutely wrong.

“But I think the difference is that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has set up frameworks to protect local manufacturing,” Mbah said.

He said that manufacturing and production could not fairly compete, if they did not ride on the same horseback of baseline infrastructure.

He said, “If you liberalise trade in the sub-region and manufacturing in one country, enjoy stable power, enjoy robust road infrastructure, single digit interest as opposed to what is obtained in another country, it becomes a problem.”

He, however, called on ECOWAS and Governments to begin to think of a financing scheme that would support the SMEs without a recourse to commercial banks.

Mr Humphrey Ngonadi, the President, South-East Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (SECCIMA), also appreciated Ojukwu and her ministry for organising the programme in Enugu.

Ngonadi, represented by the Director-General of SECCIMA, Dr Daniel Ochi, pledged to escalate the sensitisation to all the 17 city chambers of commerce in the five South-East states to ensure that the message was taken home.

“During our next council meeting that will come up in November, we are going to ensure that whatever information and benefits that ETLS has, we will pass it round, using any language, to our business community to key in.

The president, Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Mr Odeiga Jideonwo, said that the initiative would ensure that businesses in South-East had access to ECOWAS market.

Jideonwo also thanked Ojukwu for making sure that South-East was not left out in ETLS scheme.

He gave assurance that more West African countries would participate in next year Enugu trade fair holding in March.