By
Taiye Bayode
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Kogi Coordinating Office, on Tuesday, organised a one-day Export Clinic themed “Understanding the Fundamentals, Procedures and Opportunities in Export Trade for Sustainable Global Market Access,” aimed at sensitizing exporters and stakeholders on the activities of the Council and the rudiments of export trade.
The event, held under the broader agenda “Building Export-Ready Businesses for the Global Market,” brought together government officials, representatives of regulatory agencies, and local entrepreneurs at the NEPC office in Lokoja.
Speaking at the event, the NEPC Kogi State Coordinator, Mr. Adam Akinlabi, urged participants to translate knowledge gained at the clinic into concrete action, stressing the importance of understanding export procedures, regulatory approvals and documentation before venturing into the sector, noting that prospective exporters could operate as manufacturers, merchants or brokers, encouraging attendees to leverage NEPC’s programmes, including international trade fairs, to grow their businesses.
Delivering a keynote address on behalf of the Honourable Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Alhaji Muhammed Muktar Shuaibu, the Director of Administration, Mr. Ejeh Michael, described the clinic as timely given the Federal Government’s economic agenda centred on diversification and export-led growth.
While the Commissioner highlighted Kogi State’s rich endowment in agricultural produce such as cashew, soybean, sesame seed, cassava, rice, shea nut and palm produce, as well as solid minerals, he also noted that the state has lacked structured knowledge, market linkages and regulatory guidance needed to convert these resources into export-ready products.
Mr. Ejeh identified quality, documentation, access to finance and collaboration as four critical pillars for successful export, noting that global buyers demand standard products regardless of origin, and that many viable products have been rejected at the ports due to poor paperwork, while also referencing ongoing efforts by the Kogi State Government under Governor Alh. Ahmed Usman Ododo to position the state as a commercial and industrial hub.
Citing the development of the Kogi Free Trade Zone, the construction of the Lokoja Ultramodern Market, and policies aimed at improving the ease of doing business in the state, the Commissioner added that Kogi’s location at the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers, bordering about ten other states, gives it a natural advantage as a logistics and trade gateway that stakeholders must convert into export capacity.
In a detailed presentation titled “Building Export-Ready Business for Global Markets,” Mrs. Ruth Mtemave took participants through NEPC’s core functions of developing, assisting, promoting and incentivizing exporters, and walked attendees through the export process, from product development, value addition, certification and packaging, to registration with NEPC, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), and relevant regulatory bodies.
Outlining the range of pre-shipment and post-shipment documents required for export, including the Export Processing Form, Proforma Invoice, Certificate of Origin, Bill of Lading, Airway Bill, Commercial Invoice and various quality certifications issued by agencies such as NAFDAC and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service, she also spoke on NEPC’s incentive schemes, including the Export Expansion Grant (EEG) and Export Development Fund (EDF), and listed the country’s top export commodities, including cocoa, urea, cashew, sesame seed and gold, while cautioning participants on Nigeria’s list of prohibited export items.
Nigerian Shippers’ Council representative, now operating under its new mandate as the Nigerian Port Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) also addressed participants on the agency’s role in protecting the interests of shippers, facilitating ease of doing business, and driving trade facilitation and infrastructure development, including the Greater Transit Area and Inland Container Depot projects.
The representative commended the collaboration between the Council, NEPC and other sister agencies, citing the successful shipment of cashew nuts from Kogi State to Vietnam as an example of what strategic partnerships can achieve.
The one day export clinic featured an interactive session in which local entrepreneurs and prospective exporters shared their experiences and product ideas.
Among the participants were producers of organic skincare and haircare products, an organic oils and cosmetics manufacturer with existing customers in the United Kingdom and Canada, a pharmaceutical company producing herbal and skincare products, exporters of catfish, dairy and textile products with existing markets in the United Kingdom and Canada, and representatives of NGOs supporting agro-processing initiatives, including cassava-peel-to-animal-feed conversion projects in Oyo State.
Participants raised concerns about regulatory bottlenecks, particularly around product certification, and called for closer collaboration between NEPC, NAFDAC and other agencies to ease the registration process for small-scale producers.
Officials encouraged entrepreneurs to form cooperatives to access financing options such as the Bank of Industry, and to explore incentive schemes such as the Export Trade Support Scheme for exporters operating within the African region.
Closing the event, officials commended participants for their engagement and urged them to take concrete steps toward formal registration and export readiness, describing the day’s deliberations as a call to action rather than mere theory.
The organisers reiterated NEPC’s commitment and the administration of His Excellency, Kogi State Governor, Alh. Ahmed Usman Ododo in supporting Kogi State exporters and stakeholders in transforming the state’s abundant agricultural and mineral resources into export earnings that contribute to Nigeria’s non-oil revenue growth.
