NANS Hails NEPC Leadership, Seeks Export Training, Campus Hubs for Students
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has commended the leadership of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and proposed a partnership to equip students with export and entrepreneurship skills.
The association made the proposal during a courtesy visit to the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the NEPC, Mrs Nonye Ayeni, at the council’s corporate headquarters in Abuja on Monday.
The NANS Secretary-General and leader of the delegation, Comrade Oladimeji Uthman Fodio, commended Ayeni for her leadership and commitment to youth development, while also applauding the council’s efforts to deepen Nigeria’s non-oil export sector.
Fodio said the visit was aimed at exploring areas of collaboration between NANS and NEPC, particularly in export development and promotion, noting that Nigerian youths could play a significant role in expanding the country’s non-oil export base.
He said the student body was prepared to partner with the council on programmes that would expose students and young Nigerians to opportunities across the export value chain and equip them with practical skills before and after graduation.
Among the proposals presented by NANS was a nationwide training programme for students on the export of Nigerian products and services, designed to provide them with the knowledge and skills required to participate effectively in international trade.
The association also proposed the establishment of export hubs in tertiary institutions across the six geopolitical zones, with NEPC personnel deployed to provide training, mentorship and access to relevant institutional opportunities.
According to Fodio, the proposed campus export hubs would serve as platforms for connecting students and young entrepreneurs with the knowledge, expertise and support required to develop export-oriented businesses.
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NANS further proposed a national summit, “Students Export & Entrepreneurship Initiative – From Campus to Global Market,” with the theme, “Empowering Students for Non-Oil Export and Global Entrepreneurship.”
The association said the proposed summit would be built around six pillars: training, identification, development, connection, exposure and skills.
Responding, Ayeni thanked the student leaders for the visit and described Nigerian youths as vibrant, passionate and entrepreneurial, stressing that they constituted one of the country’s greatest strengths and an important component of the non-oil export ecosystem.
She assured NANS of the council’s readiness to explore partnership opportunities that would promote youth participation in the export sector.
Ayeni highlighted some of the NEPC’s existing youth-focused interventions, including the establishment of a dedicated unit for women, youths and persons living with disabilities.
She also cited the council’s Export Skills Acquisition Centre (ESAC), established and facilitated in partnership with LeLook Academy, which trains young Nigerians in garment and bag making.
According to her, the centre has trained more than 1,000 youths since its establishment, with some of the bags produced by beneficiaries subsequently exported to international markets.
The NEPC chief executive further disclosed that the council organised 728 capacity-building programmes across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in 2025, benefiting more than 10,000 people.
The visit culminated in the decoration of Ayeni as a National Ambassador of NANS.
On the proposed national summit, Ayeni directed the Director, State Offices Coordinating Department; Director, Export Incentives and Development; and Directors of Trade Information to engage with NANS representatives towards developing and organising the programme.
The proposed collaboration is expected to strengthen the link between tertiary institutions and Nigeria’s non-oil export ecosystem by giving students greater access to practical export knowledge, mentorship and entrepreneurship opportunities.
