By Iroyin Yoruba Television News Desk
The Federal Government has begun a fresh process aimed at resolving approximately ₦330 billion in outstanding claims under Nigeria's Export Expansion Grant scheme, while simultaneously working on a new funding structure intended to make export incentives more sustainable.
The development could have significant implications for Nigerian manufacturers, agricultural processors, merchants and other businesses that have exported products and accumulated verified claims under the government-backed incentive programme.
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council, working with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and representatives of exporters, held a stakeholder engagement in Abuja on Thursday, September 17, 2026, to examine the outstanding obligations and discuss how the scheme should be restructured.
The meeting was convened at a time when the Federal Government is placing greater emphasis on non-oil exports as part of efforts to diversify Nigeria's sources of foreign exchange and expand the country's participation in international trade.
NEPC Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Nonye Ayeni, said the council recognised the outstanding liabilities but stressed that payments must go through verification and approval procedures.
The government is therefore dealing with two connected but distinct issues.
The first is the accumulated backlog owed to exporters whose claims have been recognised or are still subject to the required verification process.
The second is the future structure of the Export Expansion Grant so that another large backlog does not accumulate.
According to figures presented by the NEPC, approximately ₦269.45 billion in verified claims involving 195 beneficiary companies had been approved under a Promissory Note Programme in May 2023.
In addition, approximately ₦60.64 billion in stepped-down claims involving 32 companies from the 2017–2020 period remained outstanding.
Together, the figures amount to approximately ₦330.08 billion.
The government is now seeking to reconcile the obligations, complete the necessary approvals and establish a more sustainable funding mechanism for future export incentives.
WHY THE ₦330BN BACKLOG MATTERS
The Export Expansion Grant is not simply a conventional cash-payment programme.
It is a post-shipment incentive designed to support Nigerian exporters after they have completed qualifying export transactions.
Under the existing framework published by the NEPC, eligible exporters can receive an Export Credit Certificate, or ECC, rather than a direct cash payment.
The certificate can be used for certain approved Federal Government obligations.
The NEPC states that the incentive is intended to encourage exporters to increase the volume and value of exports and improve the international competitiveness of Nigerian products.
Under the published scheme, eligible exporters must meet requirements including registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission and NEPC, evidence of formal exports and repatriation of export proceeds into Nigeria.
The council's published guidelines also state that qualifying exporters must have a minimum annual export turnover of ₦5 million and must be manufacturers, producers or merchants dealing in products of Nigerian origin.
The incentive rate under the published guidelines ranges between 5 per cent and 15 per cent of annual export value, depending on the relevant product category.
The resulting Export Credit Certificate can be used for specified Federal Government taxes and other approved liabilities, including certain obligations associated with government bonds and eligible credit facilities.
That structure means delays in settling verified claims can affect businesses in a different way from an ordinary unpaid commercial invoice.
An exporter may have completed production, shipped goods, generated foreign exchange and complied with the requirements of the programme, yet still have an outstanding government incentive claim.
For businesses operating with tight margins, delayed incentives can affect working capital and future export plans.
The latest government initiative is therefore significant because it addresses not only an accounting liability but also the confidence exporters have in the incentive framework.
THE TWO MAIN CATEGORIES OF OUTSTANDING CLAIMS
The approximately ₦330 billion figure consists of different categories of obligations.
The first major component is the ₦269.45 billion in verified claims associated with 195 beneficiary companies.
The Federal Executive Council approved a Promissory Note Programme covering these claims in May 2023.
The second component is approximately ₦60.64 billion in stepped-down claims involving 32 companies from the 2017–2020 period.
The combined amount is approximately ₦330.08 billion.
The distinction between the categories matters because the government's process involves verification, reconciliation and approval rather than simply transferring ₦330 billion immediately.
The NEPC has made clear that legitimate claims must be established through the required procedures before public funds or financial instruments are deployed.
That position reflects the government's responsibility to ensure that public money is paid only against claims that have been properly established.
For exporters, however, the key issue is that the government has now publicly acknowledged the scale of the outstanding obligations and commenced a process aimed at resolving them.
PROMISSORY NOTES ARE CENTRAL TO THE PAYMENT PROCESS
Promissory notes are an important part of the proposed settlement mechanism.
The Federal Government previously approved promissory-note arrangements covering verified EEG obligations.
Under the current process, government officials must complete the relevant approvals before the Debt Management Office can issue the financial instruments required to settle qualifying obligations.
Reports from the latest stakeholder engagement indicate that claims approved in May 2023 are expected to proceed through the 10th National Assembly for consideration and approval before the relevant financial instruments can be issued.
The process therefore involves several institutions.
The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment is involved because of its responsibility for industrial and trade policy.
The Ministry of Finance is involved in the government's financial obligations.
The Debt Management Office is relevant to the issuance of promissory notes.
The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation has a role in government financial administration.
The Central Bank of Nigeria is involved in matters connected with the financial system.
The National Assembly also has a role in the legislative approval process described by government officials.
The NEPC is coordinating the export-sector side of the process.
This multi-agency structure means that clearing the backlog is not simply a matter of one ministry writing a cheque.
It requires reconciliation of claims, verification, approvals and the appropriate financial and legislative steps.
GOVERNMENT WANTS TO AVOID ANOTHER BACKLOG
Perhaps the most important part of the latest announcement is that the government is not presenting the exercise solely as a plan to pay old claims.
Officials are also examining how the Export Expansion Grant should operate in the future.
The reason is straightforward.
If the government clears a large backlog but retains a funding structure that produces another accumulation of unpaid obligations, the same problem could return.
The latest stakeholder engagement was therefore designed to consider both immediate liabilities and the long-term sustainability of the programme.
NEPC's Ayeni said the export incentive framework needs to be credible, transparent, sustainable and responsive to exporters.
The government is consequently looking at the relationship between export performance, available funding and the incentives paid to qualifying businesses.
This is potentially a significant change in the way the scheme is administered.
Rather than treating export incentives as an obligation whose financing is determined only after claims have accumulated, the proposed approach seeks to establish a clearer funding source before obligations grow.
THE NEW TRADE FACILITATION FUND
One of the most significant proposals announced during the engagement is the creation of a professionally managed Trade Facilitation Fund.
According to the NEPC, President Bola Tinubu has approved the ring-fencing of 40 per cent of monthly Nigerian Export Supervision Scheme collections for strategic trade-facilitation and export-incentive interventions.
The proposal is intended to create a clearer link between the resources generated from export-related activities and the funding available for export support.
Under this arrangement, part of the money collected through the Nigerian Export Supervision Scheme would be set aside for trade facilitation and export incentives.
The objective is to make funding more predictable.
For exporters, predictable funding can be important because business decisions are often made months or years before a shipment takes place.
A manufacturer considering an export contract must estimate production costs, packaging expenses, transport, certification, financing and expected revenue.
If a government incentive is part of the business calculation, uncertainty about when that incentive will be available can complicate planning.
The proposed fund is therefore intended to provide a more structured financial basis for future interventions.
It is not, however, the same thing as immediate payment of the existing ₦330 billion backlog.
The old claims still have to pass through their respective verification and approval procedures.
WHAT THE EEG IS DESIGNED TO ACHIEVE
The Export Expansion Grant was created to address a fundamental challenge facing Nigerian exporters: competing in international markets can be difficult when domestic production costs and logistics expenses make Nigerian products more expensive than competing products.
The incentive is intended to help eligible exporters improve competitiveness.
The NEPC describes the EEG as a post-shipment incentive designed to encourage exporters to expand their international businesses.
Its published guidelines say that the scheme aims to increase export volume and value and improve the global competitiveness of Nigerian products.
The incentive therefore sits within a broader trade-policy objective.
Nigeria has historically earned most of its export revenue from crude oil.
Non-oil exports include agricultural commodities, processed foods, manufactured products, solid minerals and other goods and services.
Increasing the value of these exports requires businesses that can produce goods to international standards, secure buyers abroad and reliably deliver products across borders.
Government export incentives are one component of that system.
They do not replace the need for competitive products, efficient ports, reliable logistics, international certification and access to finance.
Instead, they are intended to reduce some of the disadvantages faced by exporters.
NIGERIA'S NON-OIL EXPORT PERFORMANCE
The government is pursuing the restructuring of the EEG against a background of reported growth in Nigeria's non-oil exports.
NEPC said Nigeria's non-oil export sector recorded US$6.1 billion in receipts in 2025, representing an 11.5 per cent increase over the approximately US$5.46 billion recorded in 2024.
The council also reported that export volumes increased to approximately 8.02 million metric tonnes, compared with 7.29 million metric tonnes in 2024.
NEPC described the 2025 result as the highest formally documented non-oil export value in Nigeria's history.
Those figures provide context for the government's renewed attention to the export incentive system.
The objective is not simply to settle historical obligations.
The government also wants to support a sector that it says is already showing increased export activity.
The challenge is ensuring that the support framework grows alongside export activity without creating liabilities that cannot be funded.
That is why the funding architecture has become such a central part of the latest reform discussion.
VALUE ADDITION IS BECOMING MORE IMPORTANT
Another issue emerging from the restructuring discussion is the emphasis on value-added exports.
The government has indicated that future export support should place greater emphasis on products that have undergone processing and have greater domestic value addition rather than simply encouraging the export of raw materials.
This approach has implications for agriculture and manufacturing.
For example, exporting an unprocessed agricultural commodity and exporting a processed version of the same commodity can generate very different economic outcomes.
Processing can require factories, packaging, quality control, storage, logistics and skilled labour.
It can also allow Nigerian companies to capture more of the value generated between the farm and the final consumer.
The government has therefore indicated that its future export-support framework should encourage more finished and semi-finished products.
That would align the incentive system with the broader goal of increasing domestic processing capacity.
The change would also mean that businesses seeking export support may increasingly need to demonstrate how their operations contribute to local value addition.
WHY RAW-MATERIAL EXPORTS PRESENT A DIFFERENT CHALLENGE
Nigeria has significant agricultural and mineral resources, but simply exporting raw materials does not necessarily generate the same industrial benefits as processing them domestically.
A raw commodity may leave the country shortly after extraction or harvesting.
The processing stage, including manufacturing, packaging and quality control, then takes place elsewhere.
That means some of the economic activity associated with the final product occurs outside Nigeria.
By contrast, domestic processing can create additional stages of production inside the country.
The government is therefore considering how export incentives can be used to encourage businesses to move higher up the value chain.
This is particularly relevant for sectors such as agriculture, where Nigeria produces commodities that can be transformed into food ingredients, consumer products and industrial inputs.
The success of such a policy, however, will depend on whether manufacturers can obtain affordable finance, reliable electricity, efficient transport, suitable packaging and access to international markets.
An export incentive alone cannot solve all of those challenges.
THE ROLE OF MANUFACTURERS
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria Export Group is participating in the government's discussions.
Manufacturers have a direct interest in the structure of the EEG because many exporters must manage production costs before receiving payment from international buyers.
A manufacturer producing for export may need to purchase raw materials, operate machinery, pay workers, package products and transport goods to a port before the export transaction is completed.
The Export Expansion Grant is a post-shipment incentive, meaning the exporter must first complete the qualifying export activity.
The timing of the incentive therefore matters.
A delayed payment can create a gap between the costs incurred to produce and export goods and the point at which the exporter receives the benefit associated with the scheme.
This is one reason the credibility of the incentive system is important to exporters.
A programme can have an attractive headline benefit, but businesses will factor in the practical reliability of receiving it.
The government's latest effort is intended to address that credibility problem by dealing with old claims and creating a clearer future funding mechanism.
WHAT EXPORTERS MUST PROVE
The EEG is not automatically available to every Nigerian business that sells goods abroad.
NEPC's published requirements include registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission and NEPC.
An exporter must also have carried out formal exports and provide evidence that export proceeds were repatriated into a Nigerian bank account.
The council's guidelines require a minimum annual export turnover of ₦5 million and specify that the exporter must be a manufacturer, producer or merchant of products of Nigerian origin.
Applicants are also required to provide baseline information including audited financial statements, operational capacity information, tax clearance documentation and an Export Expansion Plan.
The application process requires documentation such as certified NXP forms, bills of lading, commercial invoices, Single Goods Declaration forms, evidence of repatriation of export proceeds and inspection certification.
These requirements are intended to establish that the claimed export activity actually occurred and that the exporter meets the conditions of the scheme.
WHY VERIFICATION IS NECESSARY
The government's insistence on verification is important because export incentives involve public resources.
A claim should be linked to an actual qualifying export transaction.
Authorities therefore need documentation establishing the value and nature of the export, the identity of the exporter, the destination, the payment received and other required conditions.
Without verification, the government could potentially pay claims that do not meet the scheme's requirements.
The verification process can therefore protect public finances.
At the same time, verification needs to be efficient enough that legitimate exporters are not left waiting indefinitely.
This creates one of the central administrative challenges in the reform.
The government needs both strong controls and timely processing.
If controls are too weak, public money is exposed to improper claims.
If procedures become excessively slow, the incentive loses part of its practical value to legitimate businesses.
The proposed restructuring therefore has to address both sides.
THE EXPORT CREDIT CERTIFICATE
Under the existing NEPC framework, successful EEG beneficiaries receive an Export Credit Certificate.
The certificate is a non-cash instrument.
NEPC says it can be used to settle certain Federal Government taxes, including company income tax, VAT and withholding tax, subject to the applicable rules.
The council also lists approved uses involving Federal Government bonds and certain credit facilities associated with institutions such as the Bank of Industry, NEXIM Bank, Bank of Agriculture and CBN intervention facilities.
The certificate can also be transferred once to a third party under the published guidelines.
This mechanism distinguishes the EEG from a straightforward cash subsidy.
The exporter receives a financial instrument that can offset certain government obligations.
That can be valuable to a business with tax or other qualifying liabilities.
It also means the financial effect of a delayed certificate can extend beyond the export transaction itself.
If a business expected to use an ECC to settle an eligible obligation, delays in receiving the certificate can affect its financial planning.
The government's proposed restructuring therefore has consequences for the wider cash-flow planning of exporting companies.
THE COST OF DELAY
An exporter may sign an international contract months before shipment.
The business then has to finance production and logistics.
After completing the export, it submits the documentation required under the incentive programme.
If the claim remains unresolved for an extended period, the business may have to continue financing its operations without the expected incentive.
For a large multinational company, the effect may be manageable.
For a smaller Nigerian manufacturer, the same delay can be more significant.
This is one reason the backlog has remained an issue for exporters.
The government is now attempting to address the historical problem while simultaneously changing the financing model.
The ultimate test will be whether the new structure produces faster and more predictable settlement of legitimate claims.
WHAT THE NEW FUND COULD CHANGE
If implemented as described, the proposed Trade Facilitation Fund would create a dedicated source for strategic trade-facilitation and export-incentive interventions.
The proposed allocation of 40 per cent of monthly Nigerian Export Supervision Scheme collections would establish a recurring funding stream.
That could potentially make export support more closely connected to actual trade activity.
It could also make budget planning easier because the fund would have a defined source rather than relying entirely on ad hoc government appropriations or accumulated obligations.
However, the effectiveness of the model will depend on its governance.
A professionally managed fund would require clear rules for collection, investment, allocation, eligibility and reporting.
Exporters would also need transparency regarding how available resources are distributed.
The credibility of the scheme will therefore depend not only on how much money enters the fund but also on how effectively it is administered.
TRANSPARENCY WILL BE A KEY ISSUE
NEPC's Ayeni has emphasised that the reformed incentive framework must be credible, transparent and sustainable.
Transparency matters particularly because the existing backlog has remained unresolved for years.
Exporters need to know the status of their claims.
They also need to understand the criteria used to determine eligibility and payment priority.
A transparent system could provide exporters with clearer information about whether their claims have been verified, approved, transmitted for payment or are awaiting additional documentation.
Such a system could reduce uncertainty.
It could also help government agencies distinguish between legitimate outstanding claims and applications that do not meet the scheme's requirements.
The reform discussion therefore involves administrative transparency as much as financial restructuring.
THE IMPORTANCE OF NON-OIL EXPORTS TO FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Nigeria's interest in non-oil exports is closely linked to foreign exchange.
Oil remains an important source of export earnings, but commodity prices and production levels can fluctuate.
A broader export base can provide additional sources of foreign exchange.
Non-oil exports can include agricultural commodities, manufactured goods, processed foods, solid minerals and other products and services.
When Nigerian businesses sell these products internationally and repatriate the proceeds, foreign exchange enters the domestic economy.
That is one reason the government has linked export expansion with economic diversification.
The reported US$6.1 billion in non-oil export receipts for 2025 represents a relatively small share of Nigeria's total export earnings compared with petroleum, but it is significant within the country's non-oil trade.
The policy challenge is to increase that figure while also ensuring that export growth creates more domestic value.
That requires more than simply increasing the number of containers leaving Nigerian ports.
It requires competitive businesses producing goods that international buyers want and are willing to purchase consistently.
FROM EXPORT VOLUME TO EXPORT VALUE
A key theme in the government's latest approach is the distinction between export volume and export value.
A country can increase the tonnage of goods exported without achieving a proportional increase in economic value.
For example, exporting large quantities of raw agricultural products may generate less domestic value than exporting processed products made from those same commodities.
The government's emphasis on value addition therefore seeks to shift attention from the physical quantity of exports to the economic value generated by them.
This approach could influence future incentive policies.
Businesses that invest in processing, packaging, manufacturing and product development may receive greater policy attention.
The challenge will be ensuring that smaller businesses are not excluded simply because they lack the capital required to build large processing facilities.
That is where financing, technical support and trade-development programmes become relevant.
NEPC'S OTHER SUPPORT SYSTEM
The Export Expansion Grant is only one component of NEPC's export-support structure.
The council also administers the Export Development Fund, which is designed to support new exporters and export-oriented industries.
NEPC also provides training, market information, trade linkages, advisory services, trade fairs and buyer-seller missions.
The council's support programmes include sector-specific interventions intended to improve product quality and competitiveness.
This broader ecosystem matters because exporters often need more than financial incentives.
A company may require help identifying buyers, understanding foreign standards, improving packaging, obtaining certifications or learning export procedures.
NEPC says it offers these forms of assistance alongside the export incentives.
YOUNG BUSINESSES COULD BECOME PART OF THE EXPORT BASE
The government is also seeking to expand participation in exporting beyond established companies.
Earlier in September, the National Association of Nigerian Students approached NEPC seeking collaboration to train students in export development.
NANS proposed export hubs in tertiary institutions across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones and a national summit focused on student entrepreneurship and exports.
NEPC said it was prepared to explore partnership opportunities.
The council also highlighted its Export Skills Acquisition Centre, which has trained more than 1,000 young people, according to Ayeni.
These initiatives suggest that the government is considering export development as an area that can involve younger entrepreneurs as well as established exporters.
The relevance to the EEG reform is indirect but important.
If Nigeria wants to expand its exporter base, new businesses need to understand export documentation, quality standards, foreign markets and payment procedures.
They also need financing and production capacity.
An incentive system designed only for companies that are already large exporters may not be enough to broaden participation.
THE ROLE OF FORMAL EXPORT DOCUMENTATION
NEPC states that formal export documentation is essential for Nigerian exporters.
The council's export procedures require an exporter to obtain an Exporter's Certificate and complete relevant commercial and financial documentation.
The Nigeria Export Proceed form, or NXP, records the value of an export transaction and is an important requirement for accessing the Export Expansion Grant.
Other documents can include commercial invoices, packing lists, bills of lading and inspection certificates.
This documentation creates the paper trail needed to verify export transactions.
It also helps the government measure what Nigeria is exporting, where products are going and how much foreign exchange is being generated.
Improving documentation can therefore serve two purposes.
It can help individual exporters qualify for incentives while also improving national trade statistics.
The government has previously identified better trade-data collection as an important issue in export development.
THE PORTS AND LOGISTICS QUESTION
Export incentives cannot solve logistical bottlenecks by themselves.
An exporter may have a competitive product but still face delays moving it from a factory to a port.
Transport costs, port procedures, documentation, inspection requirements and shipping schedules can all affect competitiveness.
That is why the proposed Trade Facilitation Fund is broader than the Export Expansion Grant alone.
The government's stated intention is to support strategic trade-facilitation interventions as well as export incentives.
If part of the new funding architecture is directed toward reducing bottlenecks, the effect could extend beyond companies with existing EEG claims.
Improving export logistics can benefit new and established exporters alike.
It can also make Nigerian products more reliable for international buyers.
THE AFRICAN MARKET
Nigeria's export strategy also operates within the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The AfCFTA provides a framework intended to increase trade among African countries.
For Nigerian manufacturers, the continental market represents an opportunity to sell products beyond the domestic market.
However, access to the market depends on meeting standards, understanding rules of origin, securing distribution channels and maintaining competitive prices.
Export incentives can assist with competitiveness, but businesses still have to satisfy the commercial requirements of international buyers.
The government has therefore been working on several fronts, including trade promotion, export training and incentives.
A sustainable EEG could become one component of a larger strategy to help Nigerian companies take advantage of regional and global markets.
THE BIG QUESTION: CAN THE NEW SYSTEM PREVENT ANOTHER DEBT?
The immediate payment of old claims would solve only one part of the problem.
The more difficult test will be whether the government can design a system in which future commitments are matched with reliable funding.
The proposed 40 per cent allocation from Nigerian Export Supervision Scheme collections is intended to address this issue.
But the system will still require careful forecasting.
Export activity can rise or fall.
Government revenues can change.
The value of eligible claims can vary.
If commitments grow faster than available funding, another backlog could eventually develop.
A sustainable system therefore needs rules that connect the level of incentives to available resources while maintaining enough support to remain meaningful to exporters.
That is one of the key policy questions now facing the government and industry stakeholders.
WHAT EXPORTERS SHOULD WATCH
For companies with outstanding EEG claims, the immediate issues are verification, approval and the legislative steps connected to the promissory-note process.
Businesses should therefore not interpret the latest announcement as an immediate payment order for every outstanding claim.
The government has explicitly said that claims must undergo the appropriate procedures.
For future exporters, the important issues will include the final design of the restructured scheme, eligibility criteria, funding arrangements and the method of calculating incentives.
For manufacturers, the government's emphasis on value addition may also influence future policy.
For small and emerging exporters, the availability of training, market information and export-support programmes will remain important.
The outcome of the stakeholder engagement should provide more clarity as the government develops the reformed framework.
WHAT SUCCESS WOULD LOOK LIKE
A successful reform would need to achieve several things simultaneously.
First, legitimate historical claims would need to be resolved through a transparent process.
Second, exporters would need clearer information about their claims and the steps required for settlement.
Third, the government would need a predictable funding mechanism.
Fourth, the incentive should encourage exports that generate greater domestic value rather than simply increasing the volume of raw materials leaving the country.
Fifth, the scheme should remain financially sustainable.
Sixth, the administrative process should be fast enough to remain useful to exporters.
Finally, the programme should support Nigeria's wider objective of expanding non-oil exports and increasing foreign exchange earnings.
Those objectives are interconnected.
A scheme that pays old claims but cannot finance new ones would not solve the long-term problem.
Likewise, a sustainable fund that exporters cannot access efficiently would not achieve its purpose.
CONCLUSION
The Federal Government has opened a new phase in its effort to resolve approximately ₦330.08 billion in outstanding Export Expansion Grant claims while redesigning the funding structure for future export incentives.
The process is being coordinated by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria Export Group and other relevant institutions.
The latest stakeholder engagement took place in Abuja on Thursday, September 17, 2026, with the government acknowledging the need to address both the accumulated obligations and the structural problems that allowed the backlog to develop.
The outstanding figure consists largely of approximately ₦269.45 billion in verified claims involving 195 companies, approved under a May 2023 Promissory Note Programme, and approximately ₦60.64 billion in stepped-down claims involving 32 companies from the 2017–2020 period.
The combined amount is approximately ₦330.08 billion.
The government says payments will remain subject to verification, approval and the relevant legislative and financial procedures.
At the same time, President Bola Tinubu has approved a proposed funding mechanism under which 40 per cent of monthly Nigerian Export Supervision Scheme collections would be ring-fenced for a professionally managed Trade Facilitation Fund.
The proposed fund is intended to support strategic trade facilitation and export incentives and establish a clearer relationship between available resources and verified export performance.
The Export Expansion Grant itself is designed as a post-shipment incentive for eligible exporters.
Under NEPC's published framework, qualifying businesses must meet requirements including formal export activity, registration with relevant authorities, minimum export turnover and evidence that export proceeds have been repatriated.
Successful beneficiaries receive Export Credit Certificates that can be used for specified government obligations.
The government's decision to revisit the scheme comes as Nigeria reports stronger non-oil export performance.
NEPC said non-oil export receipts reached US$6.1 billion in 2025, up 11.5 per cent from 2024, while export volumes rose to approximately 8.02 million metric tonnes.
The council has linked the expansion of non-oil exports to the need for a more credible and sustainable incentive system.
The reform is also increasingly focused on value addition.
Rather than simply encouraging larger quantities of raw materials to leave Nigeria, the government wants future support to contribute to processing, manufacturing and finished products that can command greater value in international markets.
That objective will require more than an export grant.
Businesses will also need access to finance, reliable logistics, quality certification, productive infrastructure, market information and international buyers.
NEPC already provides several support services, including export registration, training, market information, trade linkages, advisory services and trade-promotion activities.
The immediate issue, however, remains the historical backlog.
For exporters with legitimate outstanding claims, the government's latest announcement provides a new indication that the obligations are being actively reviewed.
But the process is not yet equivalent to immediate settlement.
Verification, approval, legislative procedures and issuance of the appropriate financial instruments still have to be completed.
The longer-term test will be whether the new funding structure prevents another accumulation of unpaid obligations.
If the government succeeds in combining settlement of verified historical claims with predictable funding, transparent administration and stronger emphasis on value-added exports, the Export Expansion Grant could become a more structured component of Nigeria's non-oil export strategy.
For Nigerian exporters, manufacturers and businesses seeking international markets, the coming stages of the reform will therefore matter not only because of the ₦330 billion backlog, but because they could determine how the country's export-support system operates for years to come.