Emefiele to meet CEOs of multinational firms over exports

Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele
CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele

Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria Godwin Emefiele has disclosed plans to meet the chief executives of multinational companies in Nigeria to discuss the revamp of Nigerian exports.

Mr Emefiele dropped the hint on Tuesday during the meeting of the bankers’ committee, noting that the CBN was ready to encourage the revamp of Nigeria’s export sector through deliberate policies that would boost investment and job creation.

While decrying the situation where many Nigerian produce of export quality were waiting to be tapped, Emefiele said the CBN in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment would ensure the facilitation of a reboot of the Nigerian export market.

Alluding to President Muhammadu Buhari’s charge for Nigerians to produce what they eat and eat what they produce, the CBN governor reiterated that the country had no choice but to diversify its economic base away from heavy reliance on crude oil.

The meeting is expected to come up with a roadmap on how best to revitalise the export sector in order to earn foreign exchange for the country, as well as generate jobs for millions of Nigerians.

Emefiele had earlier initiated a campaign tagged ‘Produce, Add Value and Export’ (PAVE) especially for the agricultural produce.