Export now driven by certification, not just product quality or price – NEPC

Exporters have been warned about the rising need for product certification, not just product quality or price.

According to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) who spoke through the Ngozi Ibe, Ngozi Ibe, Regional Coordinator, South-South Regional Office, Port Harcourt, access to international markets in an increasingly standards-driven global trading environment, has emerged as one of the critical challenges in export business.

Ibe spoke at the sensitization programme titled “Go Global, Go for Certification,” with the theme, “Understanding the Relevance of Voluntary Certification to Global Market Access.”

The zonal coordinator said the programme in Port Harcourt speaks directly to one of the most critical challenges facing Nigerian exporters and export-ready SMEs: access to international markets in an increasingly standards-driven global trading environment.

“Across global value chains, market access is no longer determined solely by product availability or price competitiveness, but by compliance with internationally recognized standards, quality assurance systems, traceability, sustainability, and ethical practices.

“Voluntary certifications such as food safety standards, organic certification, sustainability labels, and quality management systems have become de facto market entry requirements in many regions, particularly in Europe, North America, Asia, and emerging African markets under the AfCFTA framework. These certifications enhance product credibility, reduce trade rejections, increase buyer confidence, and position exporters for premium pricing and long-term contracts.”

For Nigerian exporters, especially MSMEs, she stated, certification is no longer optional, it is a strategic investment. “Evidence from global trade data consistently shows that firms with recognized certifications experience higher export survival rates, improved market diversification, and stronger integration into global value chains. Certification also supports compliance with sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, technical barriers to trade (TBT), and evolving environmental, social, and governance (ESG) expectations.

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“This sensitization programme is therefore designed to demystify certification, clarify its relevance, and bridge the knowledge gap between production and global market requirements.”

The training helped to equip participants with practical insights into available certification schemes and their specific market relevance; an understanding of costs, processes, timelines, and compliance expectations; guidance on how certification aligns with export readiness, value addition, and competitiveness; and information on support mechanisms and institutional frameworks available to SMEs and exporters.

She said NEPC remains committed to building a robust pipeline of export-ready Nigerian enterprises capable of competing globally. “This programme aligns with our broader mandate to promote diversification of Nigeria’s export base, enhance value addition, and increase foreign exchange earnings through sustainable non-oil exports.”

She encouraged all participants to engage actively, ask questions, and take full advantage of the expertise assembled at the venue, saying beyond awareness, “Our collective goal is action to ensure that certification translates into real market access, increased exports, and inclusive economic growth.”

In his keynote speech, Afolabi Bello, a deputy director, who represented Nonye Ayeni, the executive director of NEPC, also harped on the growing criticality of certifications in export business.

Experts from NEPC also drilled the participants on packaging, saying this has become important in making deciding how goods would fare in the international market.

Paul Ajayi from the Abuja office of NEPC took the participants through understanding packaged products, stages of packaging and functions of packaging, as well as packaging material for global market.

He also took them through packaging design and labeling, samples of packaged products for digital market, and how to know the product and understand the properties of the product.

He said exporters must also know the spoilage factors, sorting, grading, etc, while also understanding how to implement strict quality control measures to ensure produce meets standards – competitiveness.

The participants were told that products must be well packaged and labeled, and that a standard packaged product sells more than a high quality product with poor packaging.

Ends/

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Nonye Ayeni, executive director, NEPC

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Ignatius Nwachukwu
Sat, Feb 7, 10:51 AM (20 hours ago)
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Export ready packaging on display at the PH workshop

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