By Vivian Emoni
The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) has urged government and the private sector to adopt coordinated strategies to maximise the extension of African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
Chief Emeka Obegolu, ACCI President, said this in a policy statement entitled, “From AGOA Opportunity to Sustainable Export Competitiveness” on Thursday in Abuja.
Obegolu also called for stronger measures to turn the AGOA extension into sustainable export growth.
He said the extension presented an opportunity to strengthen Nigeria’s export competitiveness, diversify the economy, create jobs and expand non-oil exports.
According to him, Nigeria must use the 2026-2028 period to overcome longstanding challenges that have limited the country’s utilisation of AGOA.
“These challenges include, inadequate market intelligence, product quality and certificate, regulatory compliance, packaging, production capacity, financing, aggregation, logistics and value addition,” he said.
The ACCI president urged Nigeria to move from exporting raw commodities to processing, packaging, branding and adding value to products for the United States market.
He identified shea butter, cashew, ginger, hibiscus, sesame, sesame oil, textiles and apparel as products with significant export potential.
“Other areas include processed agricultural products, selected solid minerals and creative-industry products, according to the Chamber.”
Obegolu said that increased domestic processing would retain more value in Nigeria, stimulate industrial development and create employment opportunities.
He also called for stronger support for Micro, Small-scale and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) exporters with exportable products but limited capacity.
He said many such businesses lacked adequate production volumes, financing, warehousing and logistics capacity needed to compete effectively in international markets.
According to him, this will promote an open-access export enablement programme to provide practical export information, compliance support and market intelligence.
“It will facilitate buyer linkages and aggregation opportunities for Nigerian exporters and promote business-to-business engagements, trade missions and reverse trade missions to connect Nigerian exporters with United States buyers,” he said.
Obegolu called on the Federal Government and relevant agencies to address policy and infrastructure challenges affecting the country’s export competitiveness.
He recommended faster and digitally enabled Certificates of Origin, targeted duty relief on export-oriented machinery and packaging equipment, and improved electricity supply.
He also advocated lower inland logistics costs, simplified export documentation and an effective single-window system for export-related permits and approvals.
“Nigeria’s export strategy must extend beyond the lifespan of AGOA by building sustainable competitiveness through quality, certification, innovation and ethical sourcing.
“Branding, technology, productivity and value addition are essential elements for developing globally competitive Nigerian businesses.
“Capabilities developed through AGOA should position Nigerian businesses to expand into the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA) and other international markets,” he said.
The ACCI president reaffirmed ACCI’s commitment to working with government, private-sector operators, financial institutions and development partners to build a competitive export economy.
He urged stakeholders to ensure that the AGOA extension did not become another missed opportunity for Nigeria, describing it as a national export imperative. (NAN)(NAN)
Edited by Francis Onyeukwu