The Africa Export-Import Bank has partnered with Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade, and Investment, to launch the Lagos SMEs Export Readiness Programme for Small and Medium Enterprises.
This was in a statement as part of efforts to scale the SMEs beyond national borders under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade, and Commerce, Lagos State, Mrs. Folashade Ambrose, speaking during the opening ceremony, described the launch as a defining chapter in Lagos State’s collective commitment to expanding the frontiers of international trade participation for our Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises.
According to Ambrose, the initiative’s launch is a bold step towards transforming Lagos-based businesses into globally competitive exporters, building wealth, creating jobs, and amplifying Lagos State and Nigeria’s economic prosperity, and disclosed that a total of 253 successful SMEs have been shortlisted for the program.
“The concept of export readiness is not just a trending term but an economic imperative.
In an era marked by regional integration and the African Continental Free Trade Area operationalisation, we cannot afford to keep our vibrant enterprises confined to domestic markets.
“Our MSMEs must evolve from local champions to continental contenders. Nigeria, and Lagos State, in particular, have long been regarded as the economic engine of West Africa. But being an engine is not enough if we are not propelling forward. This program is the vehicle that will drive us into new markets, beyond borders, and into the Centre of Intra-African commerce,” she said.
She appreciated their esteemed partners Afreximbank and ImpactHER for their collaboration, commitment to facilitating trade and industrialization across Africa, and empowerment of women-led businesses on the continent, she noted that the week-long training has been meticulously designed to demystify the export process, build practical skills, and create a clear pathway to cross-border trade participation.
Speaking further she stated that the training, which kicks off on July 4, 2025, will offer participants the opportunity to be immersed in high-value sessions covering export documentation and regulatory compliance, product packaging and labelling standards for international markets, trade finance and export credit guarantees, understanding logistics, customs, and border procedures, market entry strategies, especially under the AfCFTA, digital trade and e-commerce opportunities, and gender-responsive exporting for women-led MSMEs.
“And that is not all. At the end of this training, 20 outstanding participants will be selected to represent Lagos at the Intra-African Trade Fair scheduled to be held in Algiers, Algeria, in September 2025. The Fair is a gateway to over 1.3 billion consumers and provides a chance to engage buyers, investors, partners, and policy influencers from across the continent. Our selected trainees will become Lagos’ Export Ambassadors,” she said.
In his remarks, the Director of SME Development at AfreximBank, Mr. Ody Akhanoba, while congratulating all the lucky beneficiaries of the initiative, noted that the selection is a testament to their dedication to building successful export-orientated businesses and a reflection of the bank’s commitment to expanding into the international market. Akhanoba explained that empowering SMEs with the resources they need via capacity training presents a significant opportunity to increase Africa’s share of exports.
“We are at the edge of turning on the SME’s capacity to be more competitive in the market. With that in mind, we have taken concrete steps to promote the participation of SMEs in the African landscape through strategic interventions, such as facilitating trade and finance, capacity building, and market access,” he added.
He observed that the bank has contributed significantly to providing training capacity to over 3,000 African SMEs through tailored incubator and accelerator programmes similar to the newly launched Lagos State/AfreximBank Accelerator Programme.
In a sepoerate remark , the representative of ImpactHER’s founder, Clementina Uzogor, explained that the six-week training programme, comprising four weeks of training and two weeks of mentorship, is meant to enhance and scale participants’ export businesses and provide a platform to network with trade experts and other Nigerian MSMEs.
