FG urged to harness logistics for non-oil export growth

Registrar, Courier and Logistics Management Institute, Mr Kayode Jacobs; Business Development Partner, CLMI, Mrs Ndidi Nduka; Executive Chairman, CLMI, Distinguished Professor Simon Emeje; and Vice Chairman, CLMI, Dr Chizomam Emeje.

The Federal Government has been urged to prioritise the development of Nigeria’s logistics industry to strengthen non-oil exports, unlock the country’s agricultural potential and create millions of jobs.

The call was made on Thursday by the Founder and Chairman of the Chartered Logistics and Management Institute, Professor Simon Emeje, who argued that Nigeria was overlooking the economic opportunities available in the logistics sector despite its importance to trade, agriculture and national development.

Emeje spoke at a pre-event press briefing ahead of the CLMI 2026 International Conference and Investiture, scheduled to be held on November 26 at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos. He said the logistics industry had the capacity to generate trillions of naira in revenue and create millions of jobs if properly developed.

According to him, the combined logistics and transportation industries could be larger than Nigeria’s crude oil industry, but insufficient government attention had limited their contribution to the economy.

“Each time I say this, people will look at me twice. Nigeria, as the sixth largest oil-producing country in the world, has significant oil reserves, so how can you claim that there is another industry larger than this? And I say yes, there is an industry that is bigger than this,” Emeje stated.

He added that the institute was seeking to draw government attention to the sector’s potential and encourage policies that would enable businesses to take advantage of its opportunities.

The push comes as Nigeria seeks to diversify its economy through agricultural production and non-oil exports, areas where transportation, storage and distribution infrastructure are essential to moving products from farms and factories to domestic and international markets.

Emeje said the institute was placing greater emphasis on the relationship between logistics and agriculture, arguing that improvements in the sector could help restore agriculture’s contribution to economic growth and employment.

He called for the mechanisation of agriculture and the adoption of smart logistics to improve the movement of agricultural products, expand production and create jobs.

“Let’s go back to agriculture. Let’s go back to logistics. Let’s go back to what we used to do before the colonial force truncated that development. That was a very cheap development that came, and we started with our forefathers going to the farm and cultivating and bringing things for us to eat,” he noted.

• 2027: Abia PDP gov candidate promises agric revolution
• Food security: FG commits N2bn each to 40 tertiary institutions
• Senate steps down Barau’s agric revolution bill

He stated that the institute was also aiming to collaborate with universities to close the gap between academic qualifications and practical industry skills, emphasising that graduates should exit higher education with competencies that enhance their employability or empower them to start their own businesses.

Emeje argued that the largely theoretical nature of university education had contributed to graduate unemployment and said incorporating logistics training into university curricula could improve the situation.

“If the university curriculum can buy into it, you will discover that university graduates will come out not just having degrees, but also having skills with which they can work. They will not be looking for jobs,” he said.

Also speaking, the institute’s vice-chairman, Professor Chizomam Ann Emeje, said the conference would examine how technology could improve logistics operations in agriculture.

She said the institute had invited students from three universities to participate in the event, with the aim of exposing young people to opportunities in the logistics industry and encouraging them to consider careers in the sector.

Meanwhile, CLMI’s business development partner, Ndidi Nduka, said the conference was timely as Nigeria’s economic diversification efforts increasingly focused on non-oil exports.

She said the programme was designed to bring together exporters, policymakers, financial institutions and other participants across the agricultural value chain to discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with expanding exports.

Nduka stressed that participation should extend beyond farmers and exporters, noting that businesses and individuals across the economy were connected to agricultural production and distribution through the value chain.

She said the conference would provide an opportunity for participants to engage policymakers, address operational challenges and build business networks that could support export activities.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is expected to chair the conference, while former President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Ahmed Yakasi, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address.