The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate data collection from informal cross border trade. 
 
NEPC’s Executive Director, Nonye Ayeni, said the pact marks a major turning point in the country’s quest to grow its export trade through capturing of data in the informal sector.
 
In a statement, she observed that informal cross-border trade is not just a distant peripheral activity, but real trade that fuels livelihoods, strengthens regional supply chains, and contributes significantly to the national and continental economic resilience.
 
“Informal export trade, representing millions of dollars in goods and services, has remained largely outside our official records. Informal export trade data collected by NEPC state offices from major corridors in Kano, Jigawa, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Lagos, Ogun and Adamawa reveal transactions valued at over $31.8 million in some months of 2024,” Ayeni said.
 
According to her, reports from the National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NOPPMAN), reveal that over 1.6 million bags worth of the commodity were traded informally to neighbouring countries such as Ghana, Cote D Ivoire, Benin, Cameroon, Congo, and Niger Republic. 
 
Regrettably, she noted that those impressive achievements were not captured in the national export trade statistics, thus portending real implications for economic planning for the country. 
 
This, Ayeni noted, weakens Nigeria’s voice in regional and global trade negotiations, and denies the informal traders the recognition and support they needed to thrive, as well as diminishes the country’s economic potential, especially the vital contributions of women, youth and MSMEs.
 
She explained that the collaboration between the council and the NBS was borne out of the desire to correct the imbalance and capture the full spectrum of Nigeria’s export trade activities.
 
On his part, the Statistician-General of the Federation, Adeyemi Adeniran , said the meeting of key players from national and sub-national agencies, regional institutions, international development partners, and the organised private sector reflects the strong spirit of collaboration required to address one of the most pressing challenges in Nigeria’s trade data architecture, capturing and integrating data from informal trade and trade in services into the national framework.
 
He noted that the data gap severely impedes evidence-based policymaking, limits capacity to engage in fair trade negotiations, and undermines the accuracy of macroeconomic indicators, adding that traditional trade measurement systems have long focused on formal, large-scale transactions while overlooking the vibrancy of informal trade routes. 
 
He said this must be corrected for the nation to align its economic statistics with realities. Adeniran disclosed that informal trade in Sub-Saharan Africa contributes between 20-40 per cent of intra-African trade, with Nigeria accounting for a significant share due to its long and porous borders. 
 
“These are not just gaps in data, rather, they represent gaps in our understanding of economic life and the well-being of millions of Nigerians who engage in these activities daily,” he added.