FG Allocates N881.13m To NEPC For Export Infrastructure In 2026 Budget

Capital funding of N881.13m has been earmarked for the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) in the 2026 Appropriation Bill to support the consolidation of Nigeria’s non-oil export performance.

The allocation follows non-oil export earnings of $6.1bn in 2025, described as the highest since the establishment of the council nearly five decades ago.

Details of the proposal submitted to the National Assembly (NASS) show the funds will support institutional strengthening, export infrastructure, certification, market access and value chain development across the six geopolitical zones.

Also, the provision forms part of the proposed N58.47trn federal budget.

Furthermore, a breakdown of the capital expenditure indicates that N143.99m will fund the establishment of export clusters, aggregation centres and hubs nationwide.

Another N133m is also set aside for common facility centres and export skills acquisition centres in four geopolitical zones targeting key regional products.

The government said it allocated N84m for institutional strengthening to improve operational efficiency and N77m for certification programmes for exporters and small and medium scale enterprises under its Go Global, Go Certification initiative.

Further provisions also include N70m each for implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA), participation in international trade fairs and trade missions, and promoting services exports and improving SME access to global markets through e-commerce and digital trade platforms.

Also, the budget assigns N63m for standard trade facilities for sesame seed and cowpea, N49m for licensing and operationalising domestic export warehouses, and N42m to expand non-oil exports through formalising informal cross border trade and supporting women and youth led enterprises.

It says that smaller allocations include N21m each for verification and computerisation of fixed assets and for outdoor digital advertising to promote non-oil exports, while N37.14m will support accounting innovations and financial disclosure systems.

Commenting on performance, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of NEPC, Mrs Nonye Ayeni, said the $6.1bn recorded in 2025 represented an 11.5 per cent increase over the $5.4bn achieved in 2024.

She attributed the figures to records from pre shipment inspection agencies.

Ayeni said the growth covered agricultural commodities, processed and semi processed goods, industrial inputs and solid minerals, with 281 non-oil products exported in 2025, and noted that a significant volume of trade still occurs informally across land borders.

According to the Director General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Segun Ajayi Kadir, described the funding as positive and asked for clearer data on manufactured exports and services.

Also, the National Vice-President of the National Association of Small-Scale Industrialists, Segun Kuti George, commended the government’s continued support for the council and said its training programmes and exposure of MSMEs to international markets have contributed to export growth.