Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mrs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu has called on the Small and Medium business operators in Nigeria to take advantage of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) to expand their businesses across the West African region to strengthen economic integration.
She made the call on Tuesday while declaring open a One- Day Sensitisation Workshop on the modalities for participation in the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) held at the International Conference Centre,Enugu.
Ambassador Mrs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu
Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu said the initiative was timely, as it speaks to deepen regional integration, expand cross-border trade, and empower our Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), to enable them to take their rightful place in the vast West African market.
She noted that regional integration is not an abstract idea but about people, jobs, markets, and opportunities. It is about transforming promises into tangible benefits for every Nigerian entrepreneur.
“What we do here today is part of a larger vision. We want to see a West Africa where no region and no entrepreneur is left behind. The South-East, with its centuries-old tradition of commerce and enterprise, is uniquely positioned to benefit from this. By tapping into ETLS, our SMEs can transform local brilliance into regional competitiveness, and in turn, national strength.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu(L) Ossai(R)
“Our choice of Enugu for this workshop is strategic. The State has become a beacon of economic transformation in the South-East of Nigeria. SMEs remain the engine room of our economy, they generate employment, stimulate innovation, and drive inclusive prosperity. Strengthening them is not merely a local concern but a regional imperative, and Enugu stands today as a model for how we can align local dynamism with continental ambitions.
“The ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme is not just a technical instrument, it is a strategic pillar of West Africa’s integration agenda. As the oldest operational trade policy of ECOWAS, it underpins the free movement of and services, complements the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, and anticipates the broader framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). In essence, ETLS is both a gateway and a test case for Africa’s economic renaissance”, She said..
Deputy Governor,Ifeanyi Ossai
Speaking further, the minister said, “for Nigeria, as the largest economy in the region, leadership in this process is not optional, it is expected. Yet, 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.
“This workshop, therefore, is about democratizing opportunity, equipping SMEs with the knowledge, skills, and networks to transcend local boundaries and embrace the wider West African market”,
“As we gather in this beautiful edifice, the Enugu International Conference Center, I urge all participants to fully engage in these deliberations, ask questions, share your experiences, and seize this moment to build partnerships that will carry your businesses beyond the Nigeria’s borders. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, working with ECOWAS and relevant national agencies, will continue to prioritize economic diplomacy and trade facilitation, because the prosperity of our people is the ultimate measure of foreign policy.
She commended the Executive Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, and his cabinet for the hospitality and excellent arrangements that were put together for the success of the exposition. “Enugu’s leadership in fostering innovation and enterprise demonstrates a forward-looking commitment to inclusive growth and resonates deeply with the objectives of the ECOWAS scheme”, she said..
Earlier in his speech, Enugu state Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah urged the federal government to support the small and medium Enterprises operators to grow and expand their businesses.
He decried that many small scale industries were not thriving because they could not receive financial assistance since financial institutions such as NEXIM, Bank of Industries and Bank of Agriculture, demand collateral before granting loans.
Represented by the Deputy Governor, Ifeanyi Ossai, Governor Mbah noted that for there to be a trade Liberalisation , challenges that affect trade expansion such as high interest on loan, poor power supply and collateral before credit facility is granted should be removed.
He lamented a situation where local entrepreneurs seeking financial assistance have to get approval from Abuja before regional financial institutions can render financial assistance.
He thanked the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the workshop and for choosing Enugu as venue.
“We know that we are traders and if you talk about SMEs in Nigeria and the subregion, that is the South East Region, that is what we are known for, that is what we are trying to do with the best of our abilities. So, , I want to thank you for this initiative.
“The ETLS, will suggest an attempt to regionally expand opportunities for trade, for us and for other countries in our region. We should set up framework to assist local industries. We need to protect local manufacturing.
“We ought to compel our banks to start assisting businesses in the South East. We must work to restructure so that we can compete with other ECOWAS countries”, Mbah said.
ECCIMA President ,Sir Odeiga Jideonwo
He recalled how many industries doing well in Nigeria folded up, saying , “when people who oppose globalisation or who 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,” he said.
The Governor added that manufacturing and production cannot fairly compete if they do not ride on the same horseback
of baseline infrastructure.
“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”, Gov Mbah said..
He called on ECOWAS and governments to begin to think of a financing scheme that would support the SMEs without recourse to commercial banks.
In his speech, the President, Southeast Chambers of commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (SECCIMA), Humphrey Ngonadi, appreciated the minister, Ambassador Ojukwu and her team for organising the programme in Enugu.
Represented by the Director-General SECIMA, Dr Daniel Ochi, Ngonadi promised to take down the sensitisation to all the 17 city chambers of commerce and industry in the five states of Southeast to ensure that the message was taken home.
“During our next council meeting that will be coming up in November, we are going to ensure that whatever information and benefits that ETLS has, we will pass it using any language to our business community to key in”, he said.
On his part, the president, Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA), Sir Odeiga Jideonwo, added that the initiative would ensure that businesses in southeast have to ECOWAS market.
Ngonadi
He thanked Ojukwu for making sure that people of the southeast region was not left out in ETLS scheme, stressing that more West African countries would participate in next year Enugu Trade Fair holding in March.
The event, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with ECOWAS and Enugu state government, forms part of the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to promote economic cooperation within the ECOWAS framework, ensuring that Nigerian businesses, especially those in emerging regions like the South-East, are not left behind in the evolving landscape.
The workshop brought together policymakers, business leaders, and trade experts to explore ways to enhance the participation of Nigerian SMEs in regional trade.
