The Non-Oil Export Community of Practice became the vehicle through which exporter voices became heard and grew in strength and in numbers. By the end of the PDF II program, the Community of Practice was formalised into a registered Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) called the ‘Network of Practicing Non-Oil Exporters of Nigeria (NPNEN)’ to continue the efforts initiated during the PDF II. NPNEN was set up as an umbrella platform for collaboration among the different actors in Nigeria’s non-oil export value chain. NPNEN convened its major flagship event, the annual Non-oil Export Conference, Exhibition and Awards (NECEA) which is also a vehicle for actualizing its objectives.
The 2021 NECEA brought together critical stakeholders in the non-oil sector including top officials of government, civil society, private sector, the media, and academia to dialogue on how to refocus the country’s non-oil sector, for more effective participation in global trade, especially within the framework of the recently operationalized African Continental Free Trade Agreement. Given also the current state of Nigeria’s economy as evident in the downward spiraling of the Naira, there is certainly a need to revitalize the economy primarily through non-oil exports. The NECEA was a good medium to beam the spotlight on the alternative to oil as the mainstay of the economy.