As part of the regional programme for building African capacity for trade, the International Trade Centre, ITC, and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC, are to establish trade information system for the West African region.

The system, according to ITC, would provide a platform for trade information exchange within the ECOWAS through the ECOWAS Trade and Enterprise Experts Network (ECOWAS TEN).

Senior Commodity Specialist at ITC, Micaela Maftei, who spoke during a visit to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council in Abuja, recently said that once established, the regional trade information networks would serve as platforms for trade information exchange, answering exporters’ information needs, increasing their knowledge about markets as well as increasing their capacity to promote regional products.

She explained that part of the strategy adopted by ITC Market News Service was the establishment of a regional focused and customised news service in collaboration with ECOWAS TEN Secretariat.

Maftei said that the project was starting with Newsletters on Mango and Cashew to be produced on a monthly basis to provide market information on the sectors in the areas of prices, available stocks, areas of production, etc.

“Trade information and monthly market newsletter with a particular regional focus are scheduled to be issued on Mango and Cashew nuts in 2011 and on Sesame and Palm Oil in 2012,” she said.

To facilitate the establishment of the trade information systems, she stressed that arrangements had been concluded to organise a workshop on trade information in October this year.

She also noted that she was in Nigeria as part of a larger West African visit to set in motion the process for the take off of the newsletters, she was optimistic that the same cooperation would be extended by the NEPC to ensure the success of the newsletters.

In his speech, Executive Director of NEPC, David Adulugba said that his agency would ensure that Nigeria derived the full benefits of all the projects under the programme.

“Council is updating its product profile with a view to providing the information needs of exporters as well as would-be exporters on available product for exports from Nigeria.”