The executive director, Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mrs Nonye Ayeni, has said Nigeria recorded an increase in volume of trade in 2024 by 20.7%, worth $5.45 billion.

Ayeni said that during the period, 245 distinct products worth 7.2 metric tons were exported to 126 countries.

Speaking with reporters at the sideline of a two-day retreat organised by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, she pledged the council’s better performance in 2025.

“Nigeria is growing, the renewed hope agenda is impactful,” Ayeni said.

The retreat themed ‘Accelerating Diversification to Rebuild Prosperity by Leveraging Industry, Trade and Investment’ unveiled the ministry 2025 roadmap to accelerate economic diversification

She said in the efforts to diversify the economy from oil to non-oil sector, the council in the last one year organised capacity building programmes for 629 exporters of agricultural produce across the 36 states, leveraging on partnership with development partners and some agencies.

“Now, one of the things we want to do, which is dear to our heart, is to find ways of mainstreaming the informal sector. As you know, the non-oil export grew by 20.7% last year (2024) but that is a far cry from what we do,” she said.

“So, we are looking for how to mainstream a lot of Nigerian products going through all the borders in the north, in the south, in the west,” she said.

Ayeni said mainstreaming the informal sector would ensure an increase in the volume and value of non-oil export as well as build exporters’ capacity.

She added that the council was exploring the possibility of building a cluster and aggregate centre to bring SMEs together and connect them with experienced exporters, where they could be further trained, provide them with seedlings to add value to their products.

Ayeni said the council was working with the Africa Continent Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat to introduce the exporters to the African single market connecting 54 countries with over 1.3 billion people.