How to Export from Nigeria

Exporting is a formal activity, so start with a properly registered business at the Corporate Affairs Commission, a Tax Identification Number and a corporate bank account, including a domiciliary account to receive foreign currency. Then look hard at the product. Check that it is not on Nigeria's export prohibition list, which is published by the Nigeria Customs Service and has included items such as raw hides and skins, timber, scrap metal and maize, and check the import rules of the destination country, which are often stricter than Nigeria's. Food and agricultural products face limits on pesticide residues, aflatoxin, moisture and foreign matter, and consignments that fail are rejected at the buyer's port at the exporter's cost. The most common mistake new exporters make is to buy goods first and look for a buyer afterwards. Do it the other way round. Find the buyer, agree the specification, quantity, packaging, price, delivery term and payment method in a written contract, and only then source the goods. Be realistic about scale as well. International buyers of commodities usually want container quantities delivered consistently, so many small exporters begin by supplying established export houses or by pooling supply through a cooperative before they ship in their own name.

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council, or NEPC, is the federal agency responsible for promoting and developing non-oil exports, and registration with it is the formal entry point. Registration is done online through the council's portal by limited companies, registered business names, cooperatives and some other organisations, using the business's incorporation documents and details of its directors or proprietors. Successful applicants receive an exporter's certificate, which is renewable and which banks and other agencies ask to see. Registration is more than a formality. NEPC runs training for new exporters, publishes product and market information, organises participation in trade fairs and buyer missions, and operates help desks in its regional offices where staff can explain the requirements for a particular product and destination. It also administers government export incentives, including the Export Expansion Grant, for which exporters that meet the conditions can apply. Because requirements and portals change, take the current checklist from NEPC itself. Be wary of consultants who promise guaranteed foreign buyers or contracts in return for a fee, since no registration confers that, and NEPC does not sell buyer contracts.

For every commercial export, the exporter completes a Nigerian Export Proceeds form, known as the NXP, through an authorised dealer bank. It is now processed electronically on the Central Bank of Nigeria's trade monitoring platform. The form records the exporter, the buyer, the goods, their quantity and value, the destination and the payment terms, and it links the shipment to the money that is due back. Its purpose is to ensure that export earnings are repatriated to Nigeria through the banking system. The proceeds must be received into the exporter's domiciliary account within the period laid down by the Central Bank, and the rules on how exporters may then use or convert those funds have changed over the years, so ask your bank for the current position before you price a contract. The bank will ask for the exporter's certificate, the sales contract or proforma invoice and the other shipment details. Register the NXP before the goods are inspected and shipped, because the pre-shipment inspection and the customs export declaration both refer to it. Exporting without an NXP, or failing to repatriate proceeds, is a breach of the foreign exchange rules and can lead to sanctions and difficulty with future exports.

The certificates you need depend on the product and on what the destination country and the buyer require. Agricultural produce and plant products, which covers most of Nigeria's non-oil exports, need a phytosanitary certificate from the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service, which inspects the consignment and certifies that it is free from pests and diseases of concern. Many buyers also ask for a fumigation certificate. Processed and packaged foods, drinks, cosmetics and similar regulated products need NAFDAC involvement: the product should be registered or the facility approved, and NAFDAC issues export certificates that foreign authorities and buyers request as evidence that the goods were produced under regulatory oversight. Manufactured goods may need certification from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria showing conformity with the relevant standard. Almost every shipment needs a certificate of origin, which in Nigeria is issued through the chambers of commerce, and exports to other ECOWAS states can qualify for duty-free treatment under the ECOWAS trade liberalisation scheme where the product and producer are registered under it. Beyond official documents, buyers often want laboratory test reports from an accredited laboratory and sometimes private certifications such as organic. Ask the buyer for a written list of required documents at the contract stage.

Exports from Nigeria are subject to pre-shipment inspection under the Nigerian Export Supervision Scheme. Once the NXP is registered and the goods are ready, the exporter requests inspection from the government-appointed pre-shipment inspection agent, which checks the quality, quantity and price of the consignment and, if satisfied, issues a Clean Certificate of Inspection. A levy under the scheme is paid through the bank. The certificate is one of the documents that supports the repatriation record, so do not skip the inspection even when a buyer is pressing for speed. In parallel, a licensed customs agent lodges the export declaration with the Nigeria Customs Service, and your freight forwarder books space with a shipping line or airline, arranges the container, and coordinates stuffing, sealing and delivery to the port or airport. The final document set usually includes the commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading or air waybill, certificate of origin, the product certificates, the NXP and the Clean Certificate of Inspection. Agree the Incoterm with your buyer at the outset. Many new exporters sell FOB, which ends their responsibility once the goods are loaded at the Nigerian port, while CIF or CFR sales require you to arrange and price the ocean freight as well.

Nigeria's non-oil exports are dominated by agricultural commodities, and each has its own geography and quality language. Cocoa, grown in the south-west and in Cross River State among other areas, is the longest-established export crop and is traded on bean count, moisture, mould and fermentation quality. Sesame seed is grown widely across the middle belt and the north, in states such as Benue, Nasarawa and Jigawa, and buyers specify purity, colour, oil content and admixture. Raw cashew nuts come from a belt that includes Kogi, Oyo and Kwara states and are priced on nut count and kernel outturn, with a short buying season. Dried split ginger from southern Kaduna is valued for its pungency, and buyers watch moisture and mould closely. Dried hibiscus flower, known locally as zobo, is grown in the northern states and is sold on colour, cleanliness and freedom from foreign matter. Shea nuts and shea butter come from the savannah belt, including Niger, Kwara and Kebbi states, and sell into food and cosmetics supply chains. For all of them, the value is made or lost in drying, cleaning, sorting and storage. Learn the grading standard for your product, invest in proper cleaning and bagging, and have samples tested before you offer them.

Buyers are found through a mix of channels. Trade fairs and buyer missions, including those supported by NEPC, put you in front of importers face to face. Commodity associations and chambers of commerce circulate enquiries to members. Nigerian embassies and the commercial sections of foreign embassies in Nigeria can point you to importers' associations. Online B2B marketplaces extend your reach further. Nigerian manufacturers, wholesalers and exporters can list their products on Towobo to be found by international buyers, with commercial details such as minimum order quantities, lead times and certifications set out so that a serious buyer can assess the offer quickly. Whichever channel produces the enquiry, check the buyer as carefully as you would a supplier: confirm the company's registration in its own country, look for a trading history, and be suspicious of large orders from unknown buyers who want unusual payment arrangements or ask you to pay fees in advance. On payment, a confirmed irrevocable letter of credit or a substantial advance payment protects a new exporter. Documentary collection offers less protection, and open account terms should be kept for buyers with whom you have history. Start with a trial shipment, deliver exactly what the contract says, and let performance build the relationship.