UK–Nigeria Trade Mission Targets $32m Export Potential for Women-Led Businesses

The effort to expand women’s participation in global trade received a major boost as the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) convened a UK-funded trade mission in Abuja, connecting 30 Nigerian women-led businesses with 12 UK importers.

The mission, supported by the UK government under the SheTrades Commonwealth+ Programme, is aimed at unlocking an estimated $32 million in untapped export potential between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

The three-day mission, held from November 18 to 20, focused on agrifood and beauty products. two sectors where Nigerian women entrepreneurs have shown strong competitiveness but limited formal export participation.

Speaking at the opening session, the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gill Lever OBE, reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to strengthening market access for Nigerian women-owned businesses and boosting their presence in international value chains.

Lever noted that early results from the mission demonstrated clear progress, with participating businesses already recording over $300,000 in confirmed sales to UK buyers

“The UK is committed to supporting Nigerian women entrepreneurs to access international markets and grow their businesses. This SheTrades mission shows the enormous potential for Nigerian agrifood and beauty products in the UK market,” she said.

“The success we’ve already seen, with hundreds of thousands of dollars in export sales generated, proves what is possible when opportunities for women in trade are fully unlocked,” she added.

NEPC’s Executive Director/CEO, Nonye Ayeni, described the mission as a key step in empowering women and expanding Nigeria’s non-oil export base, stressing that women remain central to driving sustainable export growth across priority sectors.