The National Association of Charcoal Producers, Dealers, Exporters, and Afforestation of Nigeria (NACPDEAN), alongside with others, had called for support for afforestation and reforestation of charcoal.
They made the call at a stakeholders consultative meeting with government agencies organised by NACPDEAN, in Lagos state.
Titled: “Sustainable Afforestation and Reforestation for Nigeria’s Posterity,” the stakeholders claimed that in order to diversify the economy away from oil exports and toward non-oil exports, a greater contribution from the charcoal subsector was required.
The National President of NACPDEAN Mr. Babatunde Edu said the intrinsic value of the charcoal sub-sector was one of the economic drivers adding that it was planned to make it easier to plant trees aggressively and turn waste into domestic and industrial charcoal.
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“The focus of NACPDEAN is to fully embark on agrisilviculture (integration of trees and crops), the establishment of more private indigenous plantations, and the creation of industrial alternative charcoal that will not come from wood but shafts and waste for the economic growth and development of Nigeria,” he said.
In his remarks, Mr. Muhammed Abdullahi, Minister of the Environment, who was represented by Dr. Peter Bagudu, Deputy Director, was given the recent lifting of the export restriction on processed wood, charcoal, and other related products.
Also, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment’s Assistant Director for Commodities and Exports, Mr. Jude Amalunweze, promised continued support on behalf of the organisation and stated that the ministry was dedicated to creating an environment that would allow the charcoal sub-sector to prosper.
In her goodwill messages, Mrs. Francisca Odega, a representative of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, urged members of the association to register their businesses with the council and other relevant agencies to facilitate trade and the export of their goods.
