Focus on Rubber, Palm Oil, and Seafood from South-South Nigeria
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) aims to double non-oil exports to over $10 billion in 2025. To achieve this, they are focusing on products like rubber, palm oil, and seafood from the South-South region, which contributed significantly to the $5.43 billion non-oil export earnings in 2024.
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has unveiled plans to boost non-oil exports to over $10 billion in 2025, doubling the $5.43 billion achieved in 2024. This ambitious goal centres on harnessing the potential of the South-South region, particularly in exporting rubber, palm oil, and seafood.
At a recent workshop titled ‘Operation Double Your Export’ held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Bennet Itegbe, the South-South Regional Coordinator of NEPC, highlighted the region’s substantial contribution to the previous year’s non-oil export figures. He noted that approximately 60% of these exports originated from the South-South, emphasising the area’s rich resources in rubber, palm oil, and seafood.
Itegbe stressed the importance of looking beyond oil and fully tapping into the region’s non-oil export potential. He pointed out that the Niger Delta possesses a comparative advantage in several high-value export commodities. For instance, cocoa is abundantly produced in Cross River, Edo, Ondo, Delta, and Akwa Ibom states. With global demand for sustainably sourced cocoa on the rise, the Niger Delta is well-positioned to dominate premium markets by ensuring traceability and certification compliance.
Similarly, the region’s rubber-producing states—Edo, Delta, Cross River, Ondo, and Bayelsa—stand to benefit from increasing global rubber prices due to supply chain disruptions in Asia. This presents an opportunity for the Niger Delta to establish itself as a top supplier to European and Asian markets.
In the palm oil sector, states like Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, and Edo are poised to meet the world’s growing demand for deforestation-free and ethically sourced palm oil. By focusing on sustainable practices, the Niger Delta can become a leading supplier of palm oil and its derivatives.
The ‘Operation Double Your Export’ initiative underscores NEPC’s commitment to economic diversification and the strategic development of the South-South region’s non-oil export capabilities.
