The Federal Government has earmarked N881.13 million for the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) in the 2026 Appropriation Bill, following a record-breaking $6.1 billion non-oil export performance in 2025.
The allocation, part of the proposed N58.47 trillion federal budget, will fund capital projects across six geopolitical zones, focusing on institutional strengthening, export infrastructure, certification, market access, and value-chain development.
A breakdown of the capital vote revealed:
- N143.99m for establishing clusters, aggregation centres, and hubs
- N133m for common facility and export skills acquisition centres
- N84m for institutional strengthening
- N77m for certification under the ‘Go Global, Go Certification’ initiative
- N70m each for AfCFTA implementation, participation in trade fairs, and services sector development
- N63m for trade development facilities for sesame seed and cowpea
- N49m for licensing and operationalising domestic export warehouses
- N42m for formalising cross-border trade and supporting women- and youth-led businesses
Smaller allocations included N21m each for asset verification, computerisation, and out-of-home digital advertising, while N37.14m will fund innovations in accounting and financial disclosure.
The funding follows a January report confirming Nigeria’s non-oil exports rose by 11.5% year-on-year in 2025, the highest in the NEPC’s nearly 50-year history.
NEPC Executive Director, Nonye Ayeni, said exports covered agricultural commodities, processed and semi-processed goods, industrial inputs, and solid minerals, with a total of 281 non-oil products exported in 2025. She noted that while the sector is growing, significant informal trade across land borders remains.
“This marks the highest non-oil export value achieved in the country for formal documented trade and also from the inception of the council almost 50 years ago,” Ayeni said.
The 2026 budget allocation aims to consolidate these gains, improve value addition, and integrate Nigerian exporters into global value chains, supporting the government’s drive to diversify foreign exchange earnings away from crude oil.
