The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the NEPC, Nonye Ayeni. Credit: NEPC Nigeria’s ambition to expand its footprint in global trade may depend heavily on women entrepreneurs, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Nonye Ayeni, has said.
Ayeni stated this in Abuja on Tuesday during her welcome address at the Women Exporters Conference, where she disclosed that despite Nigeria’s vast resource base and entrepreneurial strength, the country still commands only a marginal share of global exports. “Ladies and gentlemen, non-oil export remains pivotal to sustainable and inclusive economic growth, especially in a country like Nigeria that has long depended on oil as a major source of revenue,” she said.
She painted a stark picture of Nigeria’s position in global trade, noting that out of the $24.5tn global merchandise exports recorded in 2024, Africa accounted for just 3.5 per cent, while Nigeria contributed only 0.26 per cent. “Considering that Nigeria’s GDP is about $290bn with over 220 million people, there is still a gap.
However, that gap represents opportunity. If Nigeria moves even modestly within global trade, the impact on businesses and on the economy will be significant,” Ayeni said. The NEPC boss, however, said recent data showed encouraging progress, revealing that Nigeria recorded its highest-ever non-oil export performance in 2025.
“In 2025, Nigeria recorded the highest value of non-oil exports to the tune of $6.1bn. We also recorded the highest volume of non-oil exports at 8.02 million metric tonnes. These are the highest in the history of the country and since the Council was established,” she stated.
According to her, the achievement reflects policy direction under the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, combined with targeted interventions by the Council and the resilience of exporters. “These gains are attributable to the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the policy thrust of the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, and the hard work and dedication of our exporters, particularly SMEs,” she added.
Ayeni stressed that small and medium enterprises remain the backbone of Nigeria’s economy, accounting for about 96 per cent of businesses, while women alone make up roughly 40 per cent of that segment. “When we narrow this further, we come to women. Women make up about 40 per cent of SMEs in Nigeria.
They are building businesses, creating value, and holding key positions across the export value chain,” she said. She emphasised that inclusive economic growth cannot be achieved without women, linking their participation directly to national development goals.
“When we talk about economic diversification, job creation, and inclusive growth, we are talking about women. Because you cannot achieve inclusive growth without them,” she stated. The NEPC boss outlined several initiatives aimed at strengthening women-led businesses, including the establishment of dedicated export desks for women across all 36 states and extensive training programmes.
“Did you know that in 2025 alone, NEPC conducted 728 capacity-building programmes across all states and Abuja? These trainings covered packaging, labelling, export documentation, quality standards, and more. In all, we impacted over 97,000 people across the export value chain,” she said.