Under the focused leadership of Abba Bello, the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) has entered 2026 as a functional agent of economic diversification. By successfully pivoting from a traditional lender to a dynamic catalyst for trade, the Bank has concluded the 2025 fiscal year with a series of landmark achievements. These have fortified Nigeria’s standing in the global non-oil market. Aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda, NEXIM’s 2025 track-record underscores an impressive move towards achieving a $1 trillion national economy.
The Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) was established by Act 38 of 1991 as an Export Credit Agency (ECA) with a statutory mandate to promote the diversification of the Nigerian economy. It was tasked with providing export credit insurance, investment guarantees, and trade information. The Bank serves as the primary financial bridge for Nigerian exporters looking to compete in international markets. Since it came about, NEXIM has remained the vanguard of non-oil trade finance, ensuring that the “Made in Nigeria” label carries global weight.
The final quarter of 2025 marked a historic turning point for the Bank’s institutional credibility. In October 2025, the leading Pan-African credit rating agency, Agusto & Co., assigned NEXIM a BBB+ rating with a stable outlook. This is a continental recognition of the Bank’s improved capitalization, strong liquidity, and robust risk management framework under Abba Bello’s guidance. The upgrade has significantly lowered the cost of borrowing from the Bank. This also allows NEXIM to pass on more competitive interest rates to indigenous exporters.
Encouraged by this financial confidence, the final months of 2025 saw the culmination of a massive funding drive. By December 31, 2025, NEXIM confirmed a total annual disbursement of ₦179.79 billion to entrepreneurs across the manufacturing, agriculture, solid minerals, and services sectors. Q4 alone accounted for a significant portion of this volume. This is a result of the Bank’s move to clear the backlog of applications for small and medium-scale exporters looking to capitalise on the year-end global demand.
A standout achievement in the last quarter of 2025 was the formal unveiling of the Lower River Niger Navigational Charts. The project was spearheaded by NEXIM in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy and National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA). This milestone is the technical backbone of the Regional Sealink Project. By charting the river from Lokoja to Burutu, NEXIM has effectively cleared the path for bulk movement of solid minerals and agricultural produce from the hinterland to the coast. In November 2025, the first successful pilot barge movement using these charts was recorded. Through this project, logistics costs for inland exporters could be slashed by as much as 40%.
Led by Abba Bello, NEXIM’s performance was also marked by an aggressive push for Export Factoring. This is a solution which allows exporters to sell their invoices to NEXIM for immediate liquidity. Recognizing that many SMEs struggle with cash flow while waiting for international payments, the Bank scaled its factoring services in late 2025 ensuring business flow and continuity for many SMEs. Furthermore, the Bank’s partnership with SMEDAN, which was deepened in Q4, resulted in the “Export Readiness” certification of over 500 new small businesses across the six geopolitical zones.
Most recently in February 2026, NEXIM Bank entered into a high-impact partnership with the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) to transform Nigeria’s sugar industry. This alliance operates a Engineering, Procurement, Construction plus Financing (EPC+F) model to mobilize long-term capital for large-scale sugar projects. This Abba Bello-led initiative is projected to generate annual foreign exchange savings of approximately $300 million through import substitution. Over 50,000 jobs will also be created across the sugar value chain. With this, Nigeria can competitively serve the $7 billion African sugar market under the AfCFTA.
While NEXIM keeps making record-breaking moves, it is notable that these steps are built on a foundation of steady transformation. The strategic focus of the Bank is best summarized by the MD/CEO himself. During his keynote at the FICAN Annual General Meeting in February 2026, Abba Bello remarked:
“We cannot float a trillion-dollar economy on the back of a single commodity. At NEXIM Bank, the $1 trillion target is a call to arms to unlock the untapped potential in our solid minerals, agriculture, and creative industries. We are moving from a ‘resource-based’ mindset to an ‘export-led’ growth model.”
As NEXIM Bank looks ahead, focus on the goal remains consistent. Leveraging the intra-African trade opportunities provided by AfCFTA and ensuring that Nigerian goods remain the most competitive on the continent. For the Nigerian exporter, NEXIM is no longer just a bank. It is a vital machinery for the nation’s industrial renaissance.
Samuel Agboola is a member of the editorial team of TheScript Newspapers
