Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, is set to formally commission the Aba Export Lab on 8th July 2025, as part of the State Government’s renewed drive towards export-led industrialisation and economic rejuvenation.
The Export Lab is expected to lay the groundwork for a comprehensive state-level trade policy aimed at driving sustainable growth and boosting foreign exchange earnings for the State.
The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, who disclosed this on Monday, while briefing Journalists in Umuahia, said the Export Lab is a major initiative under the Growth Exports Pillar of Governor Alex Otti’s Economic Rejuvenation Agenda.
“The commissioning of this Export Growth Lab signals a strategic shift towards an export-led industrialisation drive in Abia State, with Aba at the forefront as the State’s industrial and innovation hub”, Prince Kanu stated.
He explained that the lab would serve as a platform to help local businesses identify viable international markets for their products, strengthen internal capacities, and kick-start export activities.
Prince Kanu further stated that in its initial six-month phase, about 20 carefully selected Aba-based businesses will receive export readiness training, market leads and strategies to expand into the African market.
“The primary purpose of the export growth lab is the provision of a platform for export development within the state. This lab will provide targeted interactions to help businesses identify viable international markets for products manufactured and made in Abia State, assess and strengthen their internal capabilities while initiating export activities.
“In this first phase, a number of carefully selected and qualified businesses will be chosen as pilots. The program is designed to run for six months in the first instance.
“During this period, there will be export readiness training and sensitization for companies involved, development of tailored export strategies and roadmaps, capacity building in marketing, compliance, logistics, and operations, facilitation of lead generation and market trials, performance evaluation and impact assessment to inform future scale-ups”, the Commissioner explained.
He listed the expected outcomes to include verified market leads and initial export transactions for the participating businesses, improvements in pricing, packaging, production management, and compliance with international standards.
According to the Commissioner, the programme also aims to build the capacity of key Ministries and Agencies to design effective export support policies.
Prince Kanu listed the main products of focus as the famed Aquatic Lot, a product with protected cultural and commercial identity, safety footwear and industrial gear, and locally made apparels targeted at the African diaspora.
Contributing, the Commissioner for Industries and SMEs, Mr Mike Akpara, said the initiative would restore Aba’s reputation as the “Japan of Africa”.
“What the export lab is going to do is instil confidence into the producers. Basically they will be confident in their products and they will want to write ‘Made in Aba’ on them,” Mr Akpara said.
He emphasised that the Lab would equip producers with the skills to meet international finishing and packaging standards, and ensure their products can compete globally.
“The Government is just going to produce the enabling environment and that is exactly what the government is doing.
“Apart from providing good roads and infrastructure, this export lab is to facilitate exports so that we will be able to receive dollars in return”, Akpara stated.
He stressed that businesses would participate in the programme free of charge adding that increased exports would ultimately generate employment and more revenue for the State.
Also speaking, the Principal Secretary to the Governor and Chief Strategy Officer, Mr Chinenye Mba-Uzoukwu, said the Lab would mark a new phase in harnessing the entrepreneurial capacity of the people of Abia.
“What we may not have done is what this lab is going to help us do, to take those products from being made as crafts to industrial production, industrial quality, and quality that can be accepted anywhere in the world”, Mr MBA -Uzoukwu said.
He noted that while Abia-made products already find their way into global markets, the Export Lab would help formalise and scale the success under frameworks such as the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and World Trade Organisation rules.
“It’s a very exciting time for us. It’s very ambitious. We think the Government is rising to the challenge of supporting its people in ways that are not so obvious like infrastructure of roads and power”, Mr Mba-Uzoukwu said.
