The Federal Government has allocated N881.13 million to capital projects of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) in the 2026 Appropriation Bill, aimed at further boosting non-oil exports following a record $6.1 billion achievement in 2025.
Details from the 2026 budget proposal submitted to the National Assembly show that the funding is intended to strengthen NEPC’s institutional capacity, improve export infrastructure, support certification, expand market access, and enhance value-chain development across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. The allocation forms part of the proposed N58.47 trillion federal budget, reflecting continued government efforts to diversify foreign exchange earnings beyond crude oil.
A breakdown of the NEPC capital vote indicates that N143.99 million has been set aside for establishing clusters, aggregation centres, and hubs across the six geopolitical zones. Another N133 million will fund common facility centres and export skills acquisition centres in four zones for key regional products. Institutional strengthening received N84 million to enhance NEPC’s operational efficiency.
Other allocations include N77 million for the ‘Go Global, Go Certification’ initiative to ensure Nigerian exporters and SMEs meet international standards; N70 million each for implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), participating in international trade fairs and trade missions, and developing the services sector while facilitating SME market access via e-commerce and digital trade platforms.
The budget further provides N63 million for a standard trade development facility targeting sesame seeds and cowpea, N49 million for operationalising domestic export warehouses, and N42 million to formalise informal cross-border trade while supporting women- and youth-led businesses. The smallest allocations include N21 million each for verifying and computerising NEPC’s fixed assets and for promoting non-oil exports via digital advertising billboards. Finally, N37.14 million was earmarked for innovations in accounting practices, budget management, and financial disclosure.
The funding follows NEPC’s January report that Nigeria’s non-oil exports rose to $6.1 billion in 2025, marking the highest performance since the council’s establishment nearly 50 years ago. NEPC Executive Director and CEO, Nonye Ayeni, said the figure reflects a year-on-year growth of about 11.5 per cent over the $5.4 billion recorded in 2024.
“This marks the highest non-oil export value achieved in Nigeria for formal documented trade since the inception of NEPC,” Ayeni said. She noted that exports covered agricultural commodities, processed and semi-processed goods, industrial inputs, and solid minerals, with 281 non-oil products shipped in 2025, showing progress in value addition and integration into global value chains. She cautioned, however, that a substantial volume of trade still occurs informally across land borders.
Stakeholders have welcomed the budgetary allocation and export growth but stressed the need for more detailed data and stronger focus on value addition. Segun Ajayi-Kadir, Director-General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), praised the NEPC’s capital vote, urging greater emphasis on processed non-oil exports.
“It’s encouraging, but it’s critical to know whether the growth is in value-added products or just raw volumes,” Ajayi-Kadir said, linking the issue to the proposed 30 per cent value-addition bill before the National Assembly.
Similarly, Segun Kuti-George, National Vice President of the National Association of Small-Scale Industrialists (NASSI), commended the government for supporting NEPC’s training and exposure of MSMEs to export markets. “The NEPC has been instrumental in preparing entrepreneurs for international trade. Their programmes, including exhibitions in Egypt and Algeria, have helped position Nigerian goods globally,” he noted.
The new budgetary allocation is expected to strengthen NEPC’s capacity to maintain export growth momentum, enhance value addition, and increase Nigeria’s non-oil foreign exchange earnings in the coming years.
