ABUJA- The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) is partnering with seven states to set up Human Capacity Development Centres to train garment makers to produce for export, especially to the U.S., under AGOA.

The Acting Executive Director of NEPC, Mr Aliyu Lawal, told newsmen in Abuja that the states involved were Bauchi, Kaduna, Ekiti, Ogun, Zamfara, Nasarawa and Niger.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), was signed into law by the U.S. government to encourage non-oil exports to the U.S. from Africa.

Lawal said the NEPC would partner with those states to set up the centres also known as “AGOA Training School?? to acquire more knowledge to meet the requisite standards for garments meant for the U.S. market.

“For a long time, Nigeria has not been able to export garments to the U.S. market due to our inability to meet the required standard.

The entrepreneurs need formal training on how to make these ready-made garments,?? he said.

He said already, Kaduna State Government had provided the necessary infrastructure for its centre and the council would be going to Bauchi to make the formal presentation on the workability of the centre.

Lawal said the training centres would operate as Common Facility Centres (CFC), which would enable trainees involved in production of garments to have access to specialised facilities.