2026 budget targets export infrastructure, certification, AfCFTA implementation and MSME market access amid renewed push to diversify FX earnings
The Federal Government has proposed a capital allocation of N881.13 million for the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) in the 2026 Appropriation Bill, coming on the heels of Nigeria’s strongest non-oil export performance in nearly five decades.
Budget documents accompanying the 2026 spending proposal submitted to the National Assembly show that the funds are intended to support institutional strengthening, export infrastructure development, certification, market access and value-chain expansion across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
The allocation forms part of the proposed N58.47 trillion federal budget and underscores the government’s renewed policy focus on reducing dependence on crude oil exports by expanding alternative sources of foreign exchange.
A breakdown of the NEPC’s capital expenditure reveals that the largest single allocation, N143.99 million, is earmarked for the establishment of export clusters, aggregation centres and hubs across the six geopolitical zones. Another N133 million has been set aside for the creation of common facility centres and export skills acquisition centres in four geopolitical zones, targeting key products specific to each region.
The budget also provides N84 million for institutional strengthening initiatives aimed at improving the council’s operational efficiency. In addition, N77 million is allocated to the implementation of export certification programmes for Nigerian exporters and small and medium-sized enterprises under the Go Global, Go Certification initiative.
Further allocations include N70 million each for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement, participation in international trade fairs and trade missions, and the development of the services sector, including support for SME exporters through e-commerce and digital trade platforms.
The proposal also makes provision for N63 million for a standard trade development facility focused on sesame seed and cowpea, N49 million for the operationalisation and licensing of domestic export warehouses, and N42 million to boost non-oil exports through the formalisation of informal cross-border trade as well as the expansion of women- and youth-led export businesses.
Lower-value allocations include N21 million each for the verification and computerisation of the council’s fixed assets at its headquarters and for the purchase and rental of out-of-home digital advertising billboards to promote non-oil exports in Abuja and across the six geopolitical zones. A further N37.14 million is earmarked for the adoption of innovative accounting practices to strengthen budget management and financial disclosure.
The proposed funding follows a January report showing that Nigeria’s non-oil exports rose to $6.1 billion in 2025, the highest level recorded since the establishment of the NEPC nearly 50 years ago.
Speaking on the performance, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NEPC, Nonye Ayeni, said the figures were derived from records of pre-shipment inspection agencies. According to her, Nigeria’s non-oil export earnings in 2025 represented an 11.5 per cent year-on-year increase over the $5.4 billion recorded in 2024.
Ayeni said the performance marked the highest value achieved for formally documented non-oil trade since the council’s inception, noting that the growth cut across agricultural commodities, processed and semi-processed goods, industrial inputs and solid minerals.
She added that Nigeria exported 281 non-oil products in 2025, reflecting gradual progress in value addition and integration into global value chains, while cautioning that a significant volume of trade continues to take place informally across land borders.
Industry stakeholders have welcomed both the export growth and the proposed budgetary support for the council, while calling for improved data transparency and a stronger focus on value addition.
The Director-General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, described the NEPC capital allocation as a positive development but noted that clearer disaggregation of export data was needed to determine the share of manufactured goods and services in the overall figures.
He said while the growth in non-oil exports aligns with long-standing government efforts to diversify the economy, its sustainability would depend on moving beyond volume-driven exports to products with higher value addition. Ajayi-Kadir also linked the issue to the proposed 30 per cent value-addition bill before the National Assembly, arguing that value-added exports are more resilient and generate more employment.
Similarly, the National Vice President of the National Association of Small-Scale Industrialists, Segun Kuti-George, commended the government’s continued support for the NEPC, describing the council’s role in training and exposing micro, small and medium-scale enterprises to export markets as significant.
Kuti-George said the council has consistently engaged NASSI members through training programmes, conferences and sponsored participation in both local and international trade exhibitions. He added that some members had been fully supported to showcase their products in countries such as Egypt and Algeria, describing the initiative as a positive step towards positioning Nigerian businesses for regional and global markets, beginning within Africa.
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