The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has urged stakeholders in the solid minerals sector to prioritise value addition, improved packaging, and strategic marketing to enhance non-oil exports and strengthen economic diversification.
The Executive Director of NEPC, Mrs Nonye Ayeni, made the call during an interactive forum on value addition, packaging, and marketing held on Wednesday in Abeokuta, aimed at developing the solid minerals sector.
Represented by the Ogun State Coordinator, Mrs Olajumoke Abolaji, Ayeni highlighted the sector’s enormous potential to generate revenue and create jobs, noting that Nigeria possesses 44 commercially viable minerals.
She observed that the predominance of raw mineral exports had limited the sector’s contribution to national growth and foreign exchange earnings.
“The key challenges include insufficient value addition, poor packaging, limited market access, lack of certification, and low formalisation. Exporting unprocessed minerals restricts their market value and potential economic impact,” she said.
Ayeni emphasised that processing, refining, and quality packaging would increase global competitiveness, while proper marketing would attract international buyers.
She further stated that NEPC’s strategic goals include promoting value addition, boosting export capacity, enhancing market access, and leveraging technology to expand Nigeria’s export base.
In May 2025, the National Council on Commerce and Industry approved integrating solid minerals into the One State, One Product initiative to improve sector visibility.
“The growth of the solid minerals sector is critical to Nigeria’s economy; collaboration is essential to unlock its full potential through value addition, proper packaging, and marketing,” she added.
Abolaji noted that the forum aimed to transform Ogun State’s mineral resources into internationally competitive export products, supporting inclusive growth and employment.
Mrs Duke Oyinkan, NEPC Chief Trade Promotion Officer, revealed that Nigeria exported $125 million worth of solid minerals in 2024, with 212 active exporters, while over 80 per cent of mining activities remained informal.
She stressed that local processing and beneficiation would boost revenue, generate jobs, and increase Nigeria’s global market competitiveness, highlighting the role of standard packaging, quality labelling, and branding.
Mr Olatunji Salau, Chief Standard Officer at the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), underscored compliance with packaging, labelling, and certification standards to meet international market requirements.
“Packaging protects products and shapes market perception, labelling acts as a product’s passport, and certification builds consumer trust while enabling premium pricing,” Salau said.
He urged stakeholders to adopt Nigerian Industrial Standards across all production and processing stages as a foundation for industrial growth.
Participant Mr Moshood Balogun, a sand miner from Ijebu-Ode, praised the forum for providing new knowledge and business connections, while highlighting challenges such as limited finance and access to loans.
Balogun recommended stronger government support, monitoring, clear regulations, and the creation of joint task forces between miners and authorities to combat illegal mining and promote responsible practices in host communities.
The forum concluded with a call for all stakeholders to actively participate in modernizing the sector and elevating Nigeria’s presence in the global solid minerals market.