Trade education isn’t just about supporting individuals to gain knowledge and advance in their careers; it supports the development of national trade when those professionals are able to share expertise throughout their organisations and wider network.
Partnering with the International Trade Centre, the Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade delivered training to export professionals in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Nigeria and Uganda this year, with two cohorts completing the Level 3 Certificate in International Trade.
Several students shared how the qualification has increased capacity within their teams and enabled them to realise national trade ambitions, as well as supporting their own professional development.
Making an impact
Mubarak Mohammed Zungeru completed the Level 3 Certificate this year.
A trade promotion officer at the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Zungeru says that the qualification has enabled him to better advise businesses on how to sell overseas, and realise the NEPC’s vision to encourage more firms to export Nigerian goods.
He praised Chartered Institute tutor Kevin Shakespeare’s guidance on all things technical, saying that Zungeru came away from the course with a stronger understanding of both logistics and Incoterms, which will enable him to better support businesses with the practical aspects of trading.
The course has been “practical” and “hands-on”, he says.
“I’m able to apply what I’ve been taught, understanding which of the Incoterms is best for certain transactions.”
He adds that his role doesn’t just involve supporting “potential” exporters but also “training and coaching” those already exporting.
“I think I've impacted quite a lot of people's businesses, which is something that I'm proud of.”
National mission
Zungeru added that Shakespeare – the Chartered Institute's professional practices director - did a great job of tailoring content for the Nigerian market, offering strategic insights to help another of the NEPC’s goals: to increase the value of Nigeria’s exports by encouraging firms to handle more production themselves and move further up the value chain.
He cites hibiscus flour, cassia chura, sesame seeds and shea butter as Nigerian products that “thrive” in international markets, and where this approach could pay dividends.
“We’re keen to improve and climb up the value chain, deviating from exporting raw materials to exporting either fully-manufactured or semi-manufactured goods.”
Empowering traders
Echoing Zungero’s comments, Shingayirayi Moyo, also said the course supported her to advance Zimbabwe’s national agenda to boost exports, particularly among underrepresented groups.
Moyo, director of corporate communications and marketing at Zimbabwe Open University, said the qualification helped her to improve both “operational execution” and “strategic decision-making” in the trade aspects of her role.
In addition to leading on the management of the university’s international profile – handling international brand management, negotiating international partnerships and recruiting overseas students – she’s also been training as a trade consultant with Zimtrade. In this capacity, Moyo’s helped deliver programmes to support Zimbabwean exporters, like the Next She Exporter initiative for women and Eagles Nest programme for young entrepreneurs.
She credits the course with helping her to “empower” women in trade and “contribute meaningfully to Zimbabwe’s trade development and gender-inclusive economic growth”.
Completing the Level 3 certificate in International Trade was also a “significant professional milestone”, she days, a “critical benchmark” in her professional development, adding that she’s now “eager to advance my expertise by enrolling in the next level of the programme”.
Immediate application
Dennis Choguya, marketing manager at Varichem Pharmaceuticals, which operates out of Harare, Zimbabwe, said the qualification enabled him to improve his team’s processes.
He quickly implemented what he learned about Incoterms and upfront payments to optimise the company’s commercial terms.
Having previously taken what seemed like the savvy choice of offering upfront payment terms to customers, Choguya said the course opened his eyes to the value of later payments:
“We learned thar upfronts payments generally stifle exports – they can show distrust and customers may not want to continue doing business with you – but you can still be protected if you use a letter of credit.
“Based on that, we can start being flexible and exploring other terms of payment.”
This, he adds, was one of the best things about the qualification: “it was immediately applicable to work”.
“I found it very practical, the assignments would ask you to go back to work, look at what you’re doing and apply it.”
Different perspectives
Choguya appreciated the breadth of experience within the classroom, as well as among the tutors. He said he found it interesting to learn about how professionals from other countries grappled with similar, or sometimes altogether different, trade challenges – discussions that were encouraged throughout classes.
Taking Kenya as an example, he enjoyed hearing how traders in another “agri-based economy” navigated different regulatory standards depending on their target export markets.
“Just seeing what makes other economies tick and what makes our economy tick despite us being in the same continent, I really liked it.”
Diversity of perspectives, and the opportunity to explore a familiar topic through a different lens, is one of the key reasons he would recommend the course.
“We take so many things for granted, but the world is not static”, Choguya says, “things have changed, and sometimes just going into class to get a better perspective would refresh us”.
“Sometimes we find comfort in telling ourselves: ‘we know this, I've done it’, but going back to learning adds value to a professional.”
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