The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has urged exporters in Rivers State to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital platforms to expand their access to international markets.
The NEPC Regional Coordinator, South-South Regional Office, Mrs. Ngozi Ibe, made the call at a capacity-building workshop held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The workshop, themed “Harnessing Digital Platforms for Non-Oil Export Growth: Expanding Global Market Access Through Digital Innovation,” focused on equipping exporters with digital skills to improve their visibility and competitiveness in global markets.
Ibe said digital technology had transformed the way businesses identify markets, promote products, connect with buyers, and build relationships across borders.
She noted that exporters in Rivers State could no longer depend solely on traditional methods of finding international customers.
“With the right digital knowledge and tools, an exporter can identify potential markets, understand consumer demand, research competitors and showcase products,” she said.
According to Ibe, Rivers State has significant export opportunities in cassava and its derivatives, oil palm products, spices, cocoa, fisheries and aquaculture products, plantain, coconut, processed foods and handicrafts.
She, however, expressed concern that many of these products were yet to achieve sufficient visibility, competitiveness, effective positioning and accessibility to international buyers.
“This training is about enabling exporters to onboard their products and services online through digital platforms to expand their market reach.
“Our objective is not simply to teach exporters how to put their products online. We want to help them become market-ready, digitally visible and commercially competitive,” Ibe said.
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The NEPC coordinator also highlighted the importance of product quality, packaging and labelling in the export process.
She urged exporters to seek guidance from agencies such as the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to ensure their products meet required standards.
Ibe further identified market intelligence as essential for exporters seeking to select suitable destinations and understand consumer demand, competition and market-access requirements.
She encouraged participants to take advantage of International Trade Centre (ITC) tools, including Trade Map, Market Access Map and Export Potential Map, to support evidence-based export decisions.
Speaking on “Building a Strong Digital Presence for Export Business,” an AI and Information Technology consultant, Dr. Daniel Ekpah, said digital platforms had helped bridge the gap between exporters and potential customers by allowing businesses to target audiences based on their location and interests.
Ekpah urged exporters to create quality content and promote their products across social media platforms. He also advised businesses to develop functional websites that could serve as landing pages where prospective customers could learn about their brands, products and services.
The consultant stressed the importance of product quality and integrity, warning exporters to ensure that information published online was authentic.
He noted that AI tools were increasingly being used to verify the authenticity of individuals, brands and products, making credibility crucial for businesses seeking international customers.
Ekpah also encouraged exporters to use customer testimonials and positive experiences to strengthen their brands and build trust online.
“Once people get your product and say good things about your product, post it online and let people see it,” he said.
One of the participants, Amadi Fidelis, described the workshop as an eye-opener for Nigerian exporters.
Fidelis, the National President of the Association of Commercial Farmers and Agro-Allied Producers of Nigeria, said the training had provided participants with valuable knowledge on improving their global presence and increasing the visibility of their products.
“Some of us have our websites. This workshop has actually enlightened us that we need to review how our websites work,” he said.
Fidelis added that he would review his business website and adopt Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategies to improve its visibility and ranking on Google.
