The federal government has announced plans to establish the first National Export Trading Company (NETC).
According to the federal ministry of industry, trade and investment (MITI), the initiative is in partnership with the Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX) and the Africa Trade and Distribution Company (ATDC).
The ministry said the plan was introduced at the inaugural West African Economic Summit (WAES) deal room in Abuja over the weekend.
The continental firm, unveiled in the presence of President Bola Tinubu, aims to address long-standing gaps in Nigeria’s export infrastructure.
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The proposed company is expected to function as an operational unit of the ATDC Nigeria — a new joint platform combining NCX’s commodity market expertise with ATDC’s logistics and trade execution capabilities.
Commenting on the NETC, Jumoke Oduwole, minister of investment, trade and industry, said the trading company “is about changing the everyday reality for Nigerian producers – from losses to livelihoods, from being left behind to being export-ready”.
Oduwole said the government is “creating a system that works for people, for markets, and for the future”.
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Speaking on the sidelines of the summit, Abdoul Azis Ba, chief executive officer (CEO) of ATDC, said the NETC would play a critical role in enabling micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to penetrate regional and global markets.
“ATDC Nigeria will not just be an ordinary company — it will be a trade enabler,” Ba said.
“We are building a trade ecosystem that will provide market intelligence to enable producers to manufacture the products that are required by the market.
“The National ATDC will strengthen institutions like NCX and help actualise the vision of the honourable minister and the Nigerian government.”
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According to the ministry, the initiative, backed by Afreximbank through the fund for export development in Africa (FEDA), is being implemented in partnership with Arise Integrated Industrial Platform (ARISE IIP), Equitane, and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) secretariat.
The ministry said the NETC is designed to help bridge critical infrastructure and financing gaps in Nigeria’s export value chain.
It added that the core focus areas are warehousing, quality control, structured market access, and working capital support for small-scale producers and agro-industrial small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
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