The Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC, has launched a training programme to equip Nigerian students with entrepreneurship and export skills, as part of efforts to boost non-oil exports, promote youth employment and expand the country’s presence in international markets.
The programme, known as the Students Training Entrepreneurship Export Programme, STEP-X, is designed to prepare students to participate in the export value chain and develop businesses capable of competing globally.
Speaking at the launch in Lagos on Thursday, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of NEPC, Mrs Nonye Ayeni, said the initiative would be implemented across the six geopolitical zones.
According to a statement by the council’s Deputy Director and Head of Corporate Communication, Aliu Seidu Sadiq, Ayeni said the programme was designed to harness the potential of young Nigerians, who constitute more than 60 per cent of the country’s population, for economic growth and development.
With the theme, “From Campus to Global Market: Empowering Nigerian Students for Non-oil Export and Global Entrepreneurship,” STEP-X seeks to bridge knowledge gaps preventing young entrepreneurs from taking advantage of opportunities in the international market.
Ayeni acknowledged the energy, passion and resilience of Nigerian students, noting that many young people were already developing businesses, products and ideas in agriculture, agro-processing, fashion and textiles, technology, creative industries and digital services.
However, she said many of these businesses were yet to explore export opportunities because of inadequate knowledge of international markets, export procedures, documentation requirements, quality standards and certification processes.
According to her, STEP-X would address these challenges by providing students with the practical knowledge and skills required to navigate the export business and access international markets.
“This is why we came up with the theme, ‘From Campus to Global Market’. Our goal is to make the journey from a hostel room or a campus workshop to the international market shorter, clearer and achievable,” she said.
More than 250 students from tertiary institutions in Lagos and Ogun states participated in the maiden edition of the programme, which also attracted leaders of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, and zonal representatives from key institutions.
The Minister of Youth Development’s representative and Lagos State APC Youth Leader, Damilare Orimoloye, urged students to take advantage of opportunities in the export sector to create jobs and build sustainable businesses.
He commended NEPC for the initiative and called on other government agencies to introduce similar programmes to support job and wealth creation.
Also speaking, NANS President, Comrade Babatunde Akinteye, described STEP-X as a laudable initiative that would help students transition from the classroom to the global marketplace.
Akinteye said young Nigerians could be mobilised and equipped with the necessary skills to participate in different segments of the export value chain, adding that NANS was ready to partner with NEPC to implement programmes that would benefit students nationwide.
During a separate engagement with the council’s management, the students’ association proposed additional initiatives to strengthen youth participation in non-oil exports.
The proposals included comprehensive training for students on exporting Nigerian products and services, the establishment of export hubs on campuses across the six geopolitical zones, and the deployment of personnel to provide training and mentorship.
The association also proposed a national summit, the Students Export and Entrepreneurship Initiative, with the theme, “Empowering Students for Non-oil Export and Global Entrepreneurship.”
According to NANS, the proposed initiative would focus on six pillars: training, identification, development, connection, exposure and skills acquisition.
Responding, Ayeni described Nigerian youths as vibrant, passionate and entrepreneurial, assuring the association of NEPC’s readiness to collaborate on initiatives that would strengthen their participation in the non-oil export sector.
She highlighted the council’s establishment of a dedicated unit for women, youths and persons living with disabilities as part of efforts to promote inclusive participation in export development.
The NEPC chief executive also disclosed that the council, in partnership with LeLook Academy, established the Export Skills Acquisition Centre, ESAC, to train young Nigerians in garment production and bag making.
According to her, the centre has trained more than 1,000 youths since its inception, with some of the bags produced by trainees already exported to international markets.
Ayeni further disclosed that NEPC organised 728 capacity-building programmes across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in 2025, benefiting more than 10,000 people.
