SheTrades Mission targets USD 32M export boost for 30 women-led businesses in Nigeria
It provides women entrepreneurs with training, market access, and partnership opportunities to scale their businesses internationally.
NIGERIA – The SheTrades Mission, a Nigeria-UK Trade Mission, has successfully linked Nigerian women-led businesses to UK importers, unlocking an estimated USD 32 million export potential between the two countries.
Supported by the UK government under the SheTrades Commonwealth+ Programme, the three-day mission held in Abuja from November 18 to 20, 2025, focused on the agrifood and beauty sectors, where Nigerian women entrepreneurs show competitive strength but limited formal export participation.
The three-day mission brought together about 30 Nigerian women-owned agrifood and beauty businesses and 12 UK buyers.
The initiative aims to build bridges by connecting these talented women entrepreneurs with potential buyers, creating pathways for long-term partnerships, and providing capacity-building on market requirements, product standards, and logistics.
Early results from the programme have already generated over USD 300,000 in sales and leads, demonstrating substantial potential for Nigerian-made agrifood and beauty products in the UK market.
This mission is part of a broader UK-supported programme to help women entrepreneurs across Commonwealth countries access global markets.
Between 2024 and 2025, SheTrades Commonwealth+ has trained more than 1,000 Nigerian women entrepreneurs in branding, digital marketing, and export readiness.
It has also supported manufacturers in meeting international certification and audit requirements and hosted exhibitions showcasing women-led brands, further enhancing their market visibility and business growth.
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), through the SheTrades Nigeria Hub, continues to provide export advisory services, capacity building, and market linkages, working closely with the UK and international agencies to strengthen women’s participation in Nigeria’s export sector.
The mission reinforces the UK’s commitment to strengthening market access for Nigerian women entrepreneurs and to widening Nigeria’s export base by integrating women more deeply into high-value markets with growing demand for African agrifood and beauty products.
This move comes after the recent sudden six-month ban imposed by the Nigerian government on the exportation of raw shea nuts, implemented in late August 2025, has severely impacted Nigerian women who depend on the shea nut trade for their livelihoods.
Although the policy was intended to boost local production of finished shea butter and thereby increase profits retained within Nigeria, it has had unintended consequences, sparking hardship among women involved in the early stages of the shea value chain.
The Nigerian Government thought that the ban would help generate rural income, create jobs, and empower women, who make up 90-95% of the shea nut pickers.
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