Business
Nigeria’s Oil Faces Threat As Electric Vehicle Sales Rise
The rising number of countries gradually shifting from fossil fuels and encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles may pose a major threat to Nigeria’s crude oil exports.
Sales of electric cars topped 2.1 million globally in 2019, surpassing 2018, already a record year, to boost the stock to 7.2 million electric cars, with China leading the charge, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
IEA said nine countries had more than 100,000 electric cars on the road while at least 20 countries reached market shares above one per cent.
“In 2019, electric vehicles in operation globally avoided the consumption of almost 0.6 million barrels of oil products per day,” IEA said.
The demand for crude oil is expected to continue to decline following the surging sales in electric vehicles in Asia and Europe.
Carmakers have sold more than 500,000 battery electric cars in Europe during 2020, compared to only 354,000 sold during the whole of last year across the region, a UK newspaper, The Guardian, reported earlier this month.
Europe is the biggest regional export market for Nigeria’s crude oil, followed by Asia.
An economic expert, Prof Obadan Mike, said weak demand had continued to affect the market for crude oil adversely, adding that oil had continued to be characterised by low prices.
“The implications of weak recovery for global demand for crude oil, upon which Nigeria depends for its fiscal and foreign exchange sustenance, are very grave,” he said at the last Monetary Policy Committee meeting, according to a new document released by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
He added that continuing weak oil market ‘compounds the challenges in Nigeria’s fiscal operations and is not helpful to the country’s external sector and macroeconomic stability objectives’.
The United Kingdom had said last month that it would stop selling new diesel and petrol cars and vans from 2030.
The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said in February that he was bringing forward a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2040 to 2035.
Other countries including France and Norway have also announced plans to ban new internal combustion engines over varying timeframes.
Business
USTR Criticises Nigeria’s Import Ban On Agriculture, Others
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has criticised Nigeria’s import ban on 25 categories of goods, claiming that the restrictions limit market access for American exporters.
This is the effect of President Donald Trump’s tariffs introduction on goods entering the United States, with Nigeria facing a 14 per cent duty.
The USTR highlighted the impact of Nigeria’s import ban on various sectors, particularly agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
The restrictions affect items such as beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and alcoholic beverages, which the United States sees as significant barriers to trade.
The agency argues that these limitations reduce export opportunities for United States businesses and lead to lost revenue.
“Nigeria’s import ban on 25 different product categories impacts United States exporters, particularly in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
“Restrictions on items like beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and spirits limit United States market access and reduce export opportunities.
“These policies create significant trade barriers that lead to lost revenue for United States businesses looking to expand in the Nigerian market”, the agency said .
In 2016, Nigeria implemented the ban on these 25 items as part of efforts to control imports and stimulate local production.
Some of the banned items include poultry, pork, refined vegetable oil, sugar, cocoa products, spaghetti, beer, and certain medicines.
On March 26, 2025, the Federal Government also announced plans to halt solar panel imports to encourage local manufacturing as part of its push for clean energy.
Business
Expert Seeks Cooperative-Driven Investments In Agriculture
A leading agribusiness strategist and digital agriculture expert, Ayo Oluwa Okediji, has sought cooperative-driven investments in sustaining growth of poultry industry in Nigeria.
He said the poultry industry was at a defining moment and requires urgent structural reforms to secure its future and ensure long-term sustainability.
Speaking on the theme, “Strengthening Poultry Farming Through Cooperative Synergy and Strategic Investments”, at the recently concluded Oyo Mega Poultry Workshop 2025 in Ibadan, Okediji called on poultry farmers, cooperative leaders, financial institutions and policy makers to rethink the existing structure of the poultry sector.
He stressed the need to transition from fragmented, individually-driven operations to well-structured, cooperative-led enterprises capable of attracting sustainable financing and securing long-term viability.
He said, “Our poultry sector cannot thrive on individual effort alone. We need to organise ourselves into cooperative clusters, build strong governance systems and position ourselves to attract the level of investment needed to sustain this industry beyond this generation.”
Drawing on lessons from successful global cooperative models such as Rabobank in the Netherlands and Landus Cooperative in the United States, Okediji introduced the FarmClusters Poultry Model, a locally adapted solution developed by Agribusiness Dynamics Technology Limited (AgDyna), a subsidiary of AgroInfoTech Africa.
According to him, the model is currently being piloted in Oyo State in partnership with PANOY Agribusiness Limited and local poultry cooperatives.
Business
NACCIMA Proposes Hybrid Oil Palm Seedlings For Farmers
The Rivers State Representative of the Nigeria Chambers of Commerce, Mines, Industries and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr. Erasmus Chukwundah, has urged palm oil farmers to consider hybrid seedlings for planting, if they must break even in palm oil business.
Chukwundah said this recently at the Free Oil Palm Business Climate Smart Best Management Practice/Assistance Training organized by Partnership Initiative In Niger Delta (PIND) for Palm Oil Farmers in Elele, Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The Rivers representative said until palm oil farmers begin to consider such hybrid oil palm seedlings, they may not meet up with the daily increasing demand of palm oil in the market.
According to him, the seedlings produce up to 30 bunches at once that ripen same time.
He said PIND decided to partner with Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria (OPGAN) to ensure that the message was received by the targeted audience.
According to him, palm oil remained a popular choice of industry operators as it could be converted to many other products such as vegetable cooking oil.
He also noted that products such as motor tyers, marine ropes and others are now gotten from the palm tree.
Chukwundah, who is the immediate past Director-General of Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industries, and Agriculture (PHCCIMA), further warned against use of unrecommended fertilisers in growing oil palms.
He noted that such practices could limit its export value or chances as the foreign marketers have a way of detecting such .
He reiterated the need for organic fertilizers, including poultry droppings, to enable them have a natural palm oil.
“People must reduce physical contact with palm oil production. That is why we are campaigning for hydrolic oil mills. The foreign markets are no longer interested in crude method of palm oil production”, he said.
Meanwhile, one of the farmers, Sonny Didia, who appreciated Chukwundah’s commitment towards the concern of farmers, appealed for an urgent need for loan opportunity with low interest rate in order to enable them beat the target.
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