Abstract

This study used the export regulatory bodies training guide to develop export-trade initiative education to train tie- dye entrepreneurs, measure their interest and readiness to engage in export trade and other sales promotion activities, and find out if the module can really empower this group of human capital. Tie-dye Makers Association of Nigeria, which had 364 registered members, were the targeted population. Quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test control group design was adopted. A structured questionnaire with thirty questions for post-test and thirty questions for pre-test were used for data collection. Six hypotheses were tested using inferential statistics of t-tests and regression analysis at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that the export-trade initiative education stimulated Tie-dye entrepreneur’s interest. Many entrepreneurs showed their interest and registered their businesses with the corporate affairs commission , registered with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, and opened domiciliary accounts in readiness for export trade, active participation of many entrepreneurs in preparation for the exhibition was ongoing. Some joined the intermediary exporters to export their fabrics a real fulfillment to the researcher. It can therefore be deduced that the training had positive impact on tie-dye entrepreneurs to embrace export trade as many of these entrepreneurs earlier belief that export is for the highly educated ones and that its procedures are cumbersome and inevitable. Tie-dye entrepreneurs should cooperatively organized exhibitions, promotions, trade fairs, and carnivals using Tie-dye fabrics and employ better presentation of their fabrics by using attractive packaging, instructive labelling and proper branding. Efforts should be taken to urge Ogun State Government and others to compel their workers to use tie-dye fabrics at least once in a week, as done in Indonesia taking into consideration the large Nigerian population.