By Mercy Peter
The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) has called on the Federal Government and the Nigerian private sector to adopt a coordinated and strategic approach to maximise the extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) through December 2028.
The Chamber described the extension as a critical window for Nigeria to strengthen its export competitiveness, diversify the economy, create jobs and significantly expand its non-oil exports.
The ACCI made the call in a policy statement titled, “From AGOA Opportunity to Sustainable Export Competitiveness,” issued in September 2026, stressing that Nigeria must avoid repeating the challenges that have limited its ability to fully utilise the preferential access provided by AGOA to the United States market.
According to the Chamber, the 2026–2028 period should be treated as a strategic transition window during which Nigerian businesses and policymakers must build the capacity, infrastructure and market systems required to compete sustainably in the international market.
The President of ACCI, Chief Emeka Obegolu, SAN, PhD, said Nigeria’s ability to benefit from the extended AGOA framework would depend largely on its capacity to address structural constraints that have continued to undermine the country’s export performance.
He identified inadequate market intelligence, product quality and certification, regulatory compliance, packaging, limited production capacity, financing challenges, poor aggregation systems, logistics constraints and insufficient value addition as some of the major obstacles facing Nigerian exporters.
Obegolu said the country must move away from a predominantly raw-commodity export model towards processing, packaging, branding and value addition if Nigeria is to derive maximum economic benefits from its access to the U.S. market.
The ACCI identified shea butter, cashew, ginger, hibiscus, sesame and sesame oil, textiles and apparel, processed agricultural products, selected solid-mineral products and creative-industry products among the areas with significant export potential.
The Chamber maintained that increasing domestic processing of these commodities would enable Nigeria to retain a greater share of the value generated along the export value chain while simultaneously stimulating industrial development and creating employment opportunities.
It stressed that the objective should not merely be to increase the volume of commodities exported, but to develop competitive Nigerian products capable of meeting international standards and commanding stronger value in global markets.
The Chamber also called for increased support for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and small-scale exporters, noting that many Nigerian businesses already possess products with export potential but remain constrained by inadequate production volumes, financing, warehousing and logistics capacity.
According to ACCI, strengthening the capacity of MSMEs would be particularly important in ensuring that the benefits of the AGOA extension are spread across a wider segment of the Nigerian economy rather than being concentrated among a limited number of large exporters.
To address some of these challenges, the Chamber said it would promote an open-access export enablement programme designed to provide Nigerian businesses with practical export information, regulatory and compliance support, market intelligence, buyer linkages and opportunities for product aggregation.
The initiative, it said, would also facilitate business-to-business engagements, trade missions, reverse trade missions and direct connections between Nigerian exporters and potential buyers in the United States.
ACCI further urged the Federal Government and relevant government agencies to urgently address policy and infrastructure bottlenecks that continue to increase the cost of doing business and undermine the competitiveness of Nigerian exports.
Among its recommendations, the Chamber called for faster and digitally enabled Certificates of Origin, targeted duty relief for export-oriented machinery and packaging equipment, improved electricity supply and measures to reduce inland logistics costs.
It also advocated simplified export documentation and the establishment of an effective single-window system for export-related permits and approvals.
The Chamber argued that reducing administrative delays and transaction costs would enable exporters to meet international delivery requirements more efficiently and improve the overall competitiveness of Nigerian products.
Obegolu further stressed that Nigeria’s export strategy must not be designed solely around the lifespan of AGOA.
He urged Nigerian businesses to use the extension period to develop long-term competitiveness based on quality, international certification, innovation, ethical sourcing, branding, technology, productivity and value addition.
According to him, the capabilities developed by Nigerian businesses through increased participation in the U.S. market should ultimately enable them to compete in other international markets.
He particularly noted that stronger export capabilities could position Nigerian companies to take greater advantage of opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), as well as other global markets.
The ACCI President reaffirmed the Chamber’s commitment to collaborating with the Federal Government, private-sector organisations, financial institutions, development partners, export-support agencies and regulatory institutions to build a more competitive and sustainable export economy.
He maintained that the AGOA extension represents more than a temporary trade opportunity, arguing that it should be used as a catalyst for broader structural reforms in Nigeria’s export sector.
Obegolu warned against allowing the additional period provided by the AGOA extension to pass without meaningful action, stressing the need for coordinated efforts among government and private-sector stakeholders.
“This is not merely an AGOA opportunity. It is a national export imperative,” he said.
The Chamber’s position comes amid increasing efforts to diversify Nigeria’s economy away from dependence on crude oil revenues by expanding non-oil exports, strengthening domestic manufacturing and improving the country’s participation in global value chains.
ACCI said the success of Nigeria’s AGOA strategy would ultimately depend on whether the country could translate preferential market access into increased production, value addition, investment, employment and sustainable export growth.
