The National President, National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS), Mr. Ken Ukaoha has said that poor knowledge of the requirements of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) is hampering smooth implementation of the scheme.
The NANTS President said this at the capacity building workshop for Nigerian Agro-Traders on current challenges of Agro food exporters and current regional customs procedures in Abuja recently.
According to Mr, Ukaoha, many traders who ply their trader in the region do not know the categories of banned goods. The NANTS helmsman also added that as a result, “some traders under the guise of trade engage in importation of banned goods. It is important to kknow the procedures and comply with it so that your fingers do not get burnt.”
The situation, Mr. Ukaoha noted, is fueled by the huge informal nature of businesses in the region saying there is need for sensitization to make traders aware of the scheme.
“If we can take advantage of that, Nigeria can create wealth for the country,”he said.
In his presentation, a customs’ expert, Mr. Austin Iloh, asserted that the free flow of trade in the region is constrained by ‘inhibitors’.
According to Mr. Iloh, “these inhibitors like excessive documentation requirements, burdensome customs procedures, insufficient seaport/airport/land border operations and inadequate infrastructure all lead to extra cost and delays for exporters.”
On the challenges small businesses face during the documentary process, the custom expert insisted that lack of knowledge about some of the documentary requirements on the part of exporters should also not be overlooked, because ignorance is no excuse under the law.
“Often times, the misapplication of these requirement/documentation results into delays and human contacts that leads to issues of bribery and gratification,” Mr. Iloh explained.
