According to industry watchers, the move will restructure Nigeria’s trade infrastructure and unlock export potential.

Discussions are said to be at an advanced stage for the proposed NETC, which is configured to be an operating entity of ATDC, earlier set up by Afreximbank through the Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA), Arise Integrated Industrial Platform (ARISE IIP) and Equitane, in partnership with the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) Secretariat.

The ATDC was established as a continental trading company mandated to streamline regional trade and transform Africa’s productive capacity.

The continental trading firm will provide market intelligence, logistics, finance and aggregation services to support micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), smallholder farmers, informal cross-border traders and even larger corporates to participate in international trade under the AfCFTA and globally.

Announced in the presence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the inaugural West African Economic Summit Deal Room in Abuja, weekend, the national export trading company initiative represents a bold shift in enabling Nigerian MSMEs to participate more competitively in regional and global trade through access to modern infrastructure, working capital solutions, and structured market linkages.

The NETC will be developed and operated through ATDC Nigeria, a new joint platform that merges NCX’s institutional role in commodity markets with ATDC’s trade execution and logistics capacity.

The company will directly address long-standing gaps across Nigeria’s export ecosystem – particularly in warehousing, quality control, transport, market access, and financing for smallholder producers and agro-industrial SMEs.

It will play a critical role in reducing post-harvest losses through modern aggregation and storage; structuring commodity exports with traceability and quality control.

It will also provide market intelligence and market access to certified regional and global buyers; facilitate innovative trade finance for SMEs; and revitalise NCX as a hub for structured commodity trade.

The national export trading company initiative is a flagship achievement under the leadership of Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, the minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, reflecting her commitment to bold, market-aligned reforms that bridge Nigeria’s production potential with real, inclusive trade outcomes.

Under her direction, the ministry has driven strategic reforms for investment facilitation, AfCFTA readiness, and trade logistics – all converging in the transformational platform.

Commenting on the emerging NETC, Oduwole stated:

“This is about changing the everyday reality for Nigerian producers – from losses to livelihoods, from being left behind to being export-ready.

“We are creating a system that works for people, for markets, and for the future.”

ATDC reflects Afreximbank’s broader continental strategy to develop country-level platforms that enable intra-African trade, crowd in private capital, and improve the soft and hard infrastructure behind exports.

With similar platforms being deployed across the continent, Nigeria’s Trading Company will stand out for its scale, its institutional depth, and its direct alignment with national food security, industrialisation, and trade goals.

“ATDC Nigeria will not just be an ordinary company – it will be a trade enabler. We are building a trade ecosystem that will provide market intelligence to enable producers to manufacture the products that are required by the market.

“The National ATDC will strengthen institutions like NCX, and help actualize the vision of the Honourable Minister and the Nigerian Government,” said Abdoul Aziz Ba, chief executive officer, ATDC.

Led by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the initiative starts with a request to fill out a survey. The Ministry wants to know which countries Nigerian digital businesses are interested in, what kind of services they offer, and what roadblocks they face. 

With that information, the government plans to steer its trade discussions under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) toward those countries—ideally opening up space for Nigerian companies to grow across the continent.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, explained the reason behind the move. “This is because, unlike physical goods and traditional services, digital services don’t fit neatly into existing trade categories,” she said. 

“Nigeria is, therefore, championing digital trade services and is pioneering a simple, clear framework that both businesses and governments can understand.”

That problem—digital services not fitting into any clear box—has long discouraged Nigerian companies trying to operate beyond the country’s borders. It’s not yet clear what regulations apply, who issues licences, or how long the process should take. Many are left waiting for answers that don’t come.

Dr. Oduwole added, “It’s like creating a common language that helps everyone to get on the same page about what these services are and how they should be treated. The transformative benefits for Nigeria include unlocking new markets.”

The Ministry also plans to create a database of digital service providers—something Nigeria has never done before. This registry will map their expansion goals and give a clearer picture of the challenges they face. According to the Minister, the outcome could help Nigeria move from reacting to trade policy, to shaping it.

Some Nigerian companies have already made progress. Flutterwave now operates in countries such as Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, and Tanzania. Paystack has also expanded to Ghana, South Africa, and Kenya. Interswitch maintains a presence in several African cities. But they are the exceptions. For many others, licensing procedures and unclear frameworks have slowed them down.

At the same time, Nigeria has been working to improve its digital economy at home and ensure tech expansion. There’s already a national policy focused on expanding broadband access, e-commerce systems, and digital financial services. 

These steps aim to improve Nigeria’s standing in Africa’s growing digital economy—one that’s expected to contribute $180 billion to the continent’s GDP by 2025, and over $700 billion by 2050.

Still, the challenges are obvious. Over 70% of people in rural parts of Africa don’t have access to the internet. Infrastructure is weak in too many areas. If Nigerian businesses are to scale across the continent, that gap has to close. Projects like this one, if properly followed through, might help.

There’s also a wider conversation happening. Nigeria, along with countries like Kenya and Rwanda, is trying to shape how digital trade works in Africa. 

The African Digital Economy & Inclusivity Conference (AFDEIC 2025), scheduled to take place soon, will focus on key themes like financial access, responsible data sharing, and how to manage the growth of digital systems across the continent.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s recent decision to categorise cryptocurrency as securities under the new Investment and Securities Act (ISA) 2025 shows a bigger dynamic. It points to a more structured approach to digital services and may play a role in supporting cross-border trade in the near future.

For now, the government is calling on all local digital service providers to participate in the official survey. The responses will guide future negotiations and could remove some of the obstacles these companies currently face, ultimately ensuring local tech expansion beyond Nigeria.

The survey is available here.

For some of us who have attended a few such forums in the past, this year’s edition stands out as the best from a Nigerian perspective, especially because of the organization and selection of relevant, successful Nigerian entrepreneurs who attended.

Though it was a government-to-government outing, the event was largely driven by the private sector, including experienced foreigners who functioned as moderators. In the past, the Nigerian government would showcase CEOs of companies that foreign investors found it difficult to connect with.

Also, this year, Nigeria’s leading women CEOs were presented to the French and global investment communities. I was impressed with the confidence Dame (Dr.) Adaora Umeoji, the CEO of Zenith Bank, Dr. Owen Omogiafor and Jumoke Oduwole, the minister of Industry, Trade and Investment exhibited during their respective presentations.

This is good for the Tinubu administration and the Nigeria economy and in tandem with emerging global trends where women have been raising the bar in entrepreneurship and leadership.

However, what was exceptional to me as a Nigerian UK-based property investor, was the presentation of Dr. Leo Stan Ekeh, Chairman of Zinox and Konga Group as he was introduced.

He gave a completely different perspective to the event, speaking with confidence on the technology capacity of Nigeria to support foreign investors.

He assured the foreign investors of the existence of world-class IT professionals in their thousands who are available to support these investors.

He pleaded with French investors to invest in the educational sector and partner with some Nigerian educational institutions to produce graduates who may become global citizens in the corporate world.

It was a great eye-opener for the packed hall as he personally gave an example of what his companies have done in the tech sector for French companies in Nigeria over 30 years ago. Most of these companies had their CEOs present at the event.

Ekeh’s confidence was infectious, and you could gauge the impact of his audacious presentation from the faces of both the foreigners and Nigerians in the audience.

I am sure there are many companies with the profile of Zinox and Konga Group that are yet to be showcased to the world.

People left the hall very impressed. Though I was unable to reach him as he had a few persons engaging him, and I left immediately after his presentation, I spent time on Google to check out this Nigerian who presented the Nigerian technology roadmap over 30 years back.

One of his most impactful impressions in his presentation was when he said that you cannot anticipate future investments anywhere in the world without technology as your enabler.

Google revealed a lot about this humble Africa’s leading tech icon. It was a great expose for a Nigerian who pioneered many tech initiatives on the continent.

Very touching was what led him to transition Nigeria from analogue petrol dispensing pumps at filling stations to today’s digital dispensing pumps when he was cheated at a petrol station, amongst others.

His profile also mentioned how he lost over $28m in one swoop on an AI and Robotics investment that failed after he acquired the largest warehouse in the city of Lagos to install the intelligent, high-end project over eight years ago.

As I was travelling back to UK, I was reflecting on opportunities that abound in Nigeria. Today, we celebrate Elon Musk, the world’s richest man who has an African background but who made his money outside Africa, but I wager that Musk could not have made as much money if he had stayed back in Africa. Never!

Ekeh’s reason for not hitting the jackpot is that he is operating out of a very limited Nigeria economy with structural challenges and several infrastructural deficits.

The young Minister of Technology and Digital Economy Dr. Bosun Tijani, should be encouraged to produce more Dr. Ekehs to guarantee the future of Nigeria.

Ekeh in his narration talked about how as a young man he returned to Nigeria over 37 years ago with a vision to launch what he called ‘Digital Democracy’ by digitalising elections and electoral processes in the country.

He also narrated his effort at consolidation of data through digital census to guide planning and investments to achieve his ambition of promoting Nigeria to the status of an economy the world can trust.

He may have achieved his vision for digital elections with massive tech deployment which his company handled, but I am not sure how he could achieve a trusted economy where 80% of successful persons in the country are in oil and gas, cement, road construction, all brutally controlled by government both directly and vicariously.

Tech is the present and the future, and the Nigerian government must be intentional by patronising and helping to grow indigenous players to ensure they remain competitive on the global stage. I must say that I am proud of Dr. Ekeh and his achievements as a serial tech entrepreneur.

His work inspires confidence in Nigeria’s potential. However, the next two years will be pivotal in proving that this progress can be sustained.