By Chinazum Opara & Byron Osuji
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) jointly organized a strategic one-day workshop in Aba, Abia State, focused on enhancing palm oil production and boosting exports through cluster development. The event took place at Luxury City Hotels, Aba-Owerri Road, and was themed “Leveraging Cluster Principle to Boost Production and Double Non-Oil Exports of Palm Oil in Abia State.”
The workshop convened key stakeholders across the palm oil value chain, including government officials, exporters, farmers, academics, and traditional leaders, to deliberate on maximizing palm oil’s potential as a significant non-oil export product. Acting State Coordinator of NEPC Abia, Mr. Okechukwu Amaechi, highlighted the workshop’s goal to promote the cluster principle as a method for scaling up production and facilitating export growth. He urged participants to leverage Abia’s agricultural strengths and adopt global best practices to meet international export standards.
Mrs. Oji-Nnorom Chioma, Abia State Coordinator of RMRDC, delivered a goodwill message emphasizing the Council’s policy on value addition, mandating at least 30 percent value addition before raw materials can be exported. She noted that this policy, under legislative support, aims to increase export earnings, diversify Nigeria’s economy, and create local jobs, stating, “We are encouraging Abians and Nigerians to process what they grow and focus on value-added exports. This is key to sustainable industrial development.”
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Commerce and Chairperson of the State Committee on Export Promotion (SCEP) Mrs. Jane Igwe,also spoke, stressing the importance of formal registration of exporters with NEPC and warning against illegal export activities. She highlighted the state government’s support through the recently established Export Growth Lab in Aba, a platform designed to foster structured export development.
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The technical session featured presentations on export cluster principles and best practices in oil palm cultivation. Mr. Amaechi explained NEPC’s initiatives such as One State One Product and Zero to Export, while Mr. Peter Nnadi, a Farm Officer from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, detailed cultivation and processing techniques aligning with international standards.
During an interactive session, Mrs. Princess Chinenye Ogalobu, Vice President of Research & Development at ACCIMA, proposed forming a committee to implement workshop recommendations and establish clusters across Abia’s three senatorial districts. She assured that outcomes would be communicated to the Abia State Governor for further support.
The event concluded with a call for stronger public-private partnerships to ensure sustainable cluster development, increase local processing capacity, and enhance the global competitiveness of Abia’s palm oil industry. This initiative aligns with broader national efforts by NEPC and RMRDC to revive and expand Nigeria’s position in the palm oil export market through quality improvement, value addition, and strategic collaboration.
