The Nigerian Export-Import Bank has disclosed that the South-West region is the dominant force in the nation’s non-oil export sector, accounting for about 60 per cent of the total value.
This was disclosed by the Managing Director/Chief Executive of NEXIM Bank, Abba Bello, who was represented by the Head of the Lagos Regional Office, Daniella Jarikre-Ikazoboh, at the Lagos edition of the Export Readiness & Market Access Excel Programme themed ‘Empowering MSMEs for Export Opportunities’ on Wednesday.
The programme, jointly organised by NEXIM Bank and its partner, GIZ, seeks to address the challenges facing Nigeria’s Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises when it comes to export trade.
At the Wednesday programme, the NEXIMBank boss said, “As we know, MSMEs form the backbone of modern economies. In Nigeria, over 41 million MSMEs account for nearly 97 per cent of registered businesses, contributing close to 48 per cent of GDP and employing almost 88 per cent of our workforce.
“Yet, they continue to face challenges such as limited access to affordable finance, weak infrastructure, and capacity gaps that often threaten their survival. These are precisely the challenges the Excel Programme seeks to address.
“The Excel Programme was conceived as a transformative platform to identify, strengthen, and finance export-ready MSMEs through digital tools, targeted capacity building, and tailored financing.”
Excel empowers small businesses to scale operations, enhance product quality, and access regional and international markets in line with NEXIM Bank’s mandate to promote non-oil export diversification and inclusive trade.
