…Begins export clinic for entrants in PH
As Nigeria’s aggressive push for non-oil export with growth from $2.2bn in 2020 to $6.1Bn in 2025, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has unveiled why most of those who registered as exporters have remained fallow for years without moving goods out of Nigeria.
Explaining this at a one-day clinic for newly registered exporters in Port Harcourt for the South-South region, Ngozi Ibe, the regional coordinator, who spoke on behalf of Nonye Ayeni, theExecutive Director/Chief Executive Officer of NEPC, said the Council noticed a recurring challenge across the export ecosystem.
She said exporting is not merely about shipping goods across borders, but a structured business that requires compliance, quality assurance, market intelligence, financial discipline, and risk management. She said it is only by mastering this value chain that export business can begin and goods can begin to be moved from Nigeria to other countries.
She reminded the participants that the Federal Government of Nigeria has prioritized non-oil exports as a critical driver of economic diversification, foreign exchange earnings, job creation, and inclusive growth.
“In recent years, Nigeria has recorded measurable growth in non-oil export volumes and values.”
Nigeria in 2020 recorded a mere $2.2bn; 2021 – $3.5bn; 2022 – $4.8bn; 2023 4.5bn; 2024 – $5.5bn, and $6.1bn in 2025. NEPC authorities had earlier revealed that Nigeria moved from 4.8mmt in 2020 to 7.2mmt in 2024 of export quantity. In this agric commodities dominated the export market in 2024 by 51.33%, semi manufactured 46.38%, and the extractive industries 2.29%.
Ibe however said sustaining and scaling these gains depend largely on exporters who understand the rules, meet international standards, and build resilient export-ready enterprises.
“The mandate of NEPC is clear: to develop, promote, and diversify Nigeria’s non-oil export trade. In fulfilling this mandate, we recognize that capacity-building is not optional, it is foundational. This Export Clinic therefore serves as a practical intervention to bridge knowledge gaps and reduce early-stage export failures.”
To achieve this, the zone brought experts to help the newly registered exporters understand the structure and regulatory framework of export business in Nigeria; Export documentation, compliance requirements, and institutional roles; Product and market readiness, including quality and standards; Logistics, trade facilitation processes, and risk considerations; Common pitfalls faced by new exporters and how to avoid them; and Pricing dynamics.
Through two prsentations, the zonal coordinator harped on processes, urging the participants to start by creating the idea, do the plan, and take action. “Develop a comprehensive export plan, know the product you have chosen to deal on, know when it is the season (harvest) of the product (in Nigeria), and when it is in demand abroad (example, ginger is needed most in winter abroad).”
She asked them to gather information on buyers (NEPC can assist on demand), identify products from Nigeria that are in high demand abroad such as ginger (Nigeria has best ginger in the world), sesame seeds, etc; think about compliance by knowing each certification they needed and the cost. “NEPC has been helping budding exporters on this. Some cost as high as $10,000, too high for an individual exporter.”
She announced that on Friday, February 6, 2026, the Port Harcourt zone of NEPC would host a certification fair where willing exporters who need certification would be allowed to do displays to a visiting team from the headquarters. “NEPC is committed to helping exporters in the south-south zone.”
In another presentation, Ofon Udofia, an export expert of over 28 years who is the Executive Secretary, Institute of Export Operations and Management (IEOM), took the participants through the nitty gritty of export pricing.
He said it is the hardest aspect of the export business. “The aim is to cover cost without pricing yourself out of the market. Try to calculate your local cost before asking to know the international price of any commodity you want to export.”
He called for a template of charges for exporters at the ports so agents to not rip off the exporters.
Kpaama Raphael, Representative of the Bank of Agriculture (BoA), said the bank was keen to help exporters in the agric value chain, but that they do not help to acquire land but can fund equipment procurement.
Rita Chukwuma, representative of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) stormed the audience with details of approval processes and showed many subsidized processes and huge soft-landing provided for small businesses, including 200 exporters given free certification in 2020 and reduction from N57,000 to N7000 to most small businesses.
She took time to explain the need for working with NAFDAC to meet standardization to reduce product rejection at borders. She also explained why general certification for a facility would not cover all products produced in that facility as clamoured by small exporters.
Ezechukwu Nkechinyere from the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) explained why compliance was very crucial in export business because it sustains the integrity of any exporting nation and gives confidence to imported goods, too.
Mandu Inana, the head of the south-south office of the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI), showed how they help to preserve products for export quality by training farmers to meet standards and by preserving products to avoid waste. She pointed to participants on the greater need for product excellence as key aspect of export business.
