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Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to a “Zero-Reject Policy” as part of efforts to expand non-oil export revenue and strengthen agribusiness.
Speaking at the First Bank Agric and Export Conference in Lagos on Tuesday, themed “The Fundamentals of Building a Non-Oil Export Driven Economy,” Kyari said the era of Nigerian products being turned back at international borders must end. He stressed that standardisation and accountability were non-negotiable for exports.
“Every commodity must be internationally accepted, certified, and traceable. This means stronger laboratories, functional certification systems and adequate farmer training,” he said. “Every bag of sesame, every carton of catfish, and every tonne of cocoa must meet global requirements to avoid costly rejections at destination markets.”
Kyari lamented that Nigeria’s inability to consistently meet international trade standards was depriving the country of foreign exchange, while smaller producers were earning more. Despite being the world’s fourth-largest cocoa grower, Nigeria earns less than $400 million annually from value-added cocoa exports, compared with Ghana’s $2 billion from cocoa and Vietnam’s $4 billion from coffee.
“These uncomfortable comparisons remind us that we must do what these nations have mastered,” he added. “What Nigeria must now confront is the question of sustainable, equitable and acceptable financing.”
Segun Alebiosu, Group Managing Director of FirstBank, also echoed the call for improved financing. He said the bank had been a consistent partner to farmers for over a century, offering loans and capacity-building workshops.
“At FirstBank, our history is deeply connected to agriculture and non-oil exports. We see this sector as critical to Nigeria’s economic progress and Africa’s development,” Alebiosu said.
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Fixing infrastructure is key
The minister warned, however, that financing alone could not guarantee export growth without infrastructure reform.
“It is easier to ship goods from Lagos to Europe than from Lagos to Kano,” Kyari noted, citing poor logistics, congestion at ports and delays as major trade bottlenecks.
He stressed that food transfer systems went beyond roads and ports. “It is about building efficiency into every step of the supply chain. Volume without quality will fail.”
Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, represented by Nonye Ayeni, Managing Director of the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), also emphasised the urgency of implementing the National Single Window project.
Launched in 2023 but not yet fully operational, the digital platform is designed to streamline and harmonise all trade processes into a single portal.
“The National Single Window will reduce export bottlenecks, improve transparency, strengthen compliance with global standards and drastically cut down the time and cost of doing business,” Oduwole said.
Youth inclusion in agribusiness
Speakers also highlighted the importance of engaging young people in agriculture and export-driven value chains.
Oduwole said integrating more youths, women and entrepreneurs into continental value chains under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) would accelerate Nigeria’s non-oil exports.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State, agreed, describing youth involvement as vital for agro-industrialisation.
“There is dynamism and an entrepreneurial spirit among our youths. Yet, despite our potential, agriculture’s share of total exports remains far below where it should be,” he said.
The conference drew stakeholders across the agricultural and export value chain.
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