Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has called on the Kaduna State government to empower youths through non-oil export opportunities, noting that the state is rich in exportable agricultural products.
The call was made during NEPC’s Youth Export Development Programme held in Kaduna, themed “From Passion to Port: Unlocking Youth Export Potential.”
At the event, the executive director/CEO of NEPC, Nonye Ayeni, represented by the state coordinator, Mr Kajuru Y. Sadoh, said the programme aligned with the state government’s efforts to improve the livelihoods of young people.
Ayeni explained that the goal is to equip youth-led businesses in Kaduna to compete globally by leveraging the state’s strategic position as an industrial hub to export products such as ginger, maize, tomatoes, soybeans, and cotton.
He stressed the need for collaboration to integrate more youth into the non-oil export value chain, which he said would boost job creation, community development, and sustainable economic growth across the country.
“Our youth must be transformed from job seekers into wealth creators and employers of labour,” Ayeni said, adding that NEPC is committed to supporting them with capacity building, mentorship, and trade facilitation services.
Also speaking, Muhammad A. Rili, the general manager of the Kaduna State Agricultural Development Agency (KADA), said agriculture remains a key economic driver in the state, and efforts are ongoing to modernise it into a technology-driven, export-oriented sector.
Rili noted that Kaduna youth are brimming with innovative ideas in agro-processing and value addition but require structure, financing, and training in international trade standards to thrive in global markets.
He urged youth to look beyond local markets and take advantage of global value chains, while calling for speedy, purpose-driven action. “This is not a call for reckless haste, but disciplined urgency,” he said.
On her part, the Kaduna State commissioner for youth development, Gloria Ibrahim, represented by the permanent secretary, Al-Amin Murtala Daboh, expressed the ministry’s readiness to partner with NEPC on programmes that will empower youth.
She revealed that the ministry has reactivated partnerships with reputable organisations, both local and international, to ensure that youth across the state benefit directly from government and donor interventions.
The commissioner commended NEPC for choosing Kaduna as the programme’s host, stressing that it aligns with Governor Uba Sani’s vision of making the state’s youth the most creative, innovative, and self-reliant in Nigeria.
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