Zenith Bank Trade Seminar has unveiled strategies to scale Nigeria’s Non-Oil Exports.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that Zenith Bank Plc has convened policymakers, regulators, exporters, manufacturers, investors and development partners to develop practical strategies for expanding Nigeria’s non-oil exports and strengthening the country’s position in regional and global trade.
The discussions took place at the 10th edition of the Zenith Bank International Trade Seminar on Non-Oil Export, held virtually on Tuesday, August 25, 2026.
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Themed “Unlocking Value and Harnessing Growth,” the seminar examined ways Nigeria could move beyond exporting raw commodities to building competitive value chains, improving trade infrastructure and financing, expanding market access and increasing the contribution of non-oil exports to sustainable economic growth.
In her welcome address, Zenith Bank’s Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dame Adaora Umeoji, paid tribute to the bank’s founder, Dr Jim Ovia, whose vision led to the establishment of the seminar in 2015.
Umeoji said Nigeria’s non-oil exports reached a record $6.1 billion in 2025, representing an 11.5 per cent increase from the $5.46 billion recorded in 2024 and a significant rise from $612 million a decade earlier.
“Our theme, ‘Unlocking Value and Harnessing Growth,’ is not just a slogan. It speaks to the opportunities before us and the need to translate our collective efforts into sustainable economic value,” she said.
Umeoji disclosed that Zenith Bank had commenced the development of the SMARTAfCFTA portal through its partnership with the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat.
She added that the bank’s integration with the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System was making cross-border transactions easier for its customers.
“Wherever our exporters need to reach, Zenith Bank will reach with them,” Umeoji stated.
She also commended President Bola Tinubu for implementing structural reforms aimed at improving the business environment and praised the Central Bank of Nigeria, under Governor Olayemi Cardoso, for reforms designed to strengthen foreign exchange stability and market confidence.
Umeoji urged Nigeria to accelerate local value creation by processing and exporting finished products instead of relying primarily on raw-material exports.
Delivering the keynote address, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, called for stronger trade and investment reforms, improved export infrastructure and broader market access for Nigerian businesses.
“The question before us now is not simply how to export more, but how to retain more value in Nigeria from everything we export,” Oduwole said.
She explained that the ministry’s priorities included improving domestic productivity, expanding local processing, connecting Nigerian businesses with larger markets and strengthening the financing and infrastructure required for exporters to scale.
Oduwole said the AfCFTA presented Nigerian businesses with access to a continental market of more than 1.4 billion people and approximately $3.4 trillion in gross domestic product.
She urged financial institutions to move beyond financing individual export transactions to building the long-term capabilities of exporters.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Fund for Export Development in Africa and immediate past President of Afreximbank, Professor Benedict Oramah, said Africa must develop its internal demand, financing capacity and industrial base amid growing uncertainty in the global economy.
“The question is whether Africa, and Nigeria within it, can build her own internal demand, participate effectively in global supply chains, build the capacity to finance her own trade and industries, and create her own markets,” Oramah said.
Founder and Executive Chair of Plot Enterprise Ghana Limited, Patricia Poku-Diaby, also urged African countries to shift from supplying raw materials to producing finished goods and building strong indigenous brands.
“The future of our economy will not be determined simply by what we grow or what we mine, but by what we transform,” she said.
The Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, said the success of the continental trade agreement would be determined by the ability of African businesses to enter new markets, increase investment and expand productive capacity.
He said the private sector remained central to restructuring Africa’s economy, accelerating industrialisation and reducing dependence on unprocessed commodity exports.
The event also featured public- and private-sector panel sessions covering trade facilitation, export financing, customs and port efficiency, logistics reform, product certification, market intelligence and access to funding.
Participants included representatives of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Ports Authority, Central Bank of Nigeria and Nigerian Export Promotion Council.
Private-sector speakers were drawn from the Dangote Group, Starlink Global & Ideal Limited, 3T Impex Trade Centre, Terra Aqua Environmental Consultancy Nigeria Limited, RMM Global Company Limited, Psaltry International and Lelook Nigeria Limited.
Zenith Bank launched its International Trade Seminar on Non-Oil Export in 2015 to promote dialogue and action around Nigeria’s export diversification agenda.
The 2026 edition was streamed across Zoom, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok, attracting thousands of participants from 97 countries.
