The tools are expected to give investors clearer information on Nigeria’s productive capacity and available investment opportunities, supporting informed decisions and encouraging investment in local industries.
The Federal Government has launched new trade intelligence tools to help Nigerian businesses access international markets, attract productive investment, and strengthen local industries’ competitiveness as part of efforts to build a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2030.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, who unveiled the initiative in Abuja, said it would provide exporters and investors with reliable market information to guide business decisions, navigate trade requirements and convert economic reforms into industrial growth and job creation.
Dr Oduwole said Nigeria was recording significant progress in capital inflows and non-oil exports, but stressed the need to translate the gains into productive investments, completed export transactions and stronger domestic industries.
She cited an increase in capital importation from about 3.9 billion dollars in 2023 to more than 23 billion dollars in 2025, while non-oil exports reached a record 12.36 trillion naira, with Nigerian products gaining access to more than 120 countries.
The minister also disclosed that intra-African trade grew by 21 percent in 2025, describing the development as an opportunity to expand Nigeria’s participation in regional and global markets.
“Our task now is to turn capital flows into productive investment, export opportunities into completed transactions and policy reforms into measurable gains in the real economy,” she said.
Oduwole acknowledged that businesses continued to face challenges, including high production costs, limited access to finance, logistics constraints and complex trade procedures.
She said the government was working with private-sector operators and institutional partners to address the barriers and improve the business environment.
According to the minister, the trade intelligence tools will enable exporters to identify promising markets, understand applicable tariffs and entry requirements, and obtain credible information before shipping their products.
Dr Oduwole identified the forthcoming CANEX Weekend 2026 and the Intra-African Trade Fair 2027, scheduled to be held in Lagos, as strategic platforms for promoting Nigerian products, strengthening commercial partnerships and connecting local businesses with international buyers and investors.
She announced that the ministry planned to formally launch its Trade Portal at CANEX Weekend, scheduled for November 5 to 8, 2026.
The portal is expected to connect businesses to market intelligence and facilitate the conversion of trade contacts into actual commercial transactions.
Earlier, the Minister’s Special Adviser, Dr Tochukwu Nwachukwu, presented an overview of the ministry’s trade intelligence publications, highlighting developments in Nigeria’s export performance, investment inflows and expanding trade relationships.
Nwachukwu said the ministry had produced two publications: the Trade Intelligence Report 2026, which examines trade and investment performance throughout 2025, and Trade in Six Months: Nigeria Half-Year 2026, covering developments between January and June 2026.
He explained that the publications were designed to strengthen evidence-based policymaking, improve accountability and provide reliable data to support decisions by government, businesses and investors.
Meanwhile, the President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA, Jani Ibrahim, called for increased private-sector investment in value-added exports, competitive manufacturing and priority export value chains.
Ibrahim said greater investment in these areas would strengthen Nigeria’s position in global trade, enhance the value of locally produced goods and create more employment opportunities.
The launch of the trade intelligence tools is part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to expand Nigeria’s export capacity, attract investment and position domestic industries to compete more effectively in regional and international markets
