The Federal Government and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria have reaffirmed their commitment to addressing bottlenecks in Nigeria’s export sector, fixing the Export Expansion Grant scheme and promoting non-oil trade as a key driver of the country’s economic growth and development.

Speaking at the Annual General Meeting and public discourse of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria Export Promotion Group held in Lagos on Tuesday, the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, said the government was determined to resolve the long-standing challenges affecting exporters, particularly those related to the EEG scheme.

Oduwole, represented by the Assistant Chief Commercial Officer in the federal trade ministry, Hajara Usman, said the ministry was “fully aware of the difficulties confronting exporters and is working with the private sector to find lasting solutions.”

She said, “The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment is strengthening inter-agency coordination to eliminate duplications and reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks.

We are also working to streamline documentation processes, digitise customs operations, and harmonise standards across borders.”

Oduwole revealed that the ministry has set up a technical working group to address concerns surrounding the EEG and to clear outstanding claims. “We are working closely with the Ministry of Finance to ensure that these problems are brought to the fore and resolved. The minister is not relenting on this,” she added.

Oduwole explained that Nigeria’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area required “decisive action to overcome non-tariff barriers, weak industrial capacity, and poor infrastructure.”

She said, “The AfCFTA represents not just a trade agreement but a historic opportunity to reshape Africa’s economic destiny. However, issues such as congested ports, unreliable power supply, and multiple regulations continue to inflate exporters’ costs and weaken competitiveness.”

The minister reaffirmed the government’s pledge to deepen partnerships with manufacturers. “The challenges before us cannot be addressed by the government alone. We require a strong partnership between the public and private sectors. Together, we can transform Nigeria from a commodity-dependent economy into a diversified, export-driven powerhouse,” she said.

The event, themed ‘Difficulties in Export Trading under Multilateral Trade Agreements: A Threat to AfCFTA Implementation’, drew participants from the public and private sectors, academia, and development agencies.

Stakeholders agreed that collaborative reforms, particularly on the EEG, infrastructure development, and trade facilitation, would be critical to positioning Nigeria as a regional export leader under the AfCFTA framework.

Chairman of MANEG, Odiri Erewa-Meggison, commended the Federal Government for efforts to clear EEG backlogs but urged for “a comprehensive policy review to clean up the process.”

She said, “Manufacturing exporters have faced declining competitiveness in the global market due to high exchange rates, energy costs, multiple levies, port congestion, and infrastructure shortages. We urge the Federal Government to revisit policies designed to assist manufacturers and to reform the export expansion framework.”

Erewa-Meggison thanked the Nigerian Export Promotion Council for funding the submission of baseline export data for 2023 and 2024, describing it as a step toward improving sectoral transparency and planning.

She said MANEG remained committed to supporting the objectives of the AfCFTA but warned that unresolved domestic barriers could hinder Nigeria’s ability to maximise the trade pact’s benefits.

Delivering the keynote presentation, Professor of Economics at the University of Ibadan, Olawale Ogunkola, urged stakeholders to focus on adding value to local products and diversifying export destinations.

He said, “We must move from exporting raw materials to processed goods. That is where stability and higher earnings lie. The cocoa value chain, for example, already shows some value addition, but we can do far more.”

Ogunkola noted that Nigeria’s over-reliance on oil made the economy vulnerable to global shocks. “If anything happens to the oil sector, the whole country feels the impact. Export promotion and structural transformation are the only ways out,” he stated.

The professor cautioned against depending on limited export markets, saying, “We shouldn’t concentrate on just one or two markets. We must diversify both products and destinations to safeguard our economy from global uncertainties.”

Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, said export growth was crucial to sustaining ongoing economic reforms and restoring industrial competitiveness.

He said, “Manufacturing has taken a back seat in government policy for too long, but exports appear to be the only way to accelerate the reforms we need. When we export, we add value to our currency and our economy.”

Ajayi-Kadir stressed that encouraging local investors was essential to industrial recovery. “When you benefit a producer and an exporter, you benefit the country. If we support our investors, Nigeria will reap the full rewards of its economic potential,” he said.