Nigeria's free HACCP and FDA certification window: what NEPC assesses before it backs an agro exporter

Nigeria's free HACCP and FDA certification window: what NEPC assesses before it backs an agro exporter

Nigeria's free voluntary certification round for food and agro-commodity exporters closes on Friday 30 October 2026, and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council assesses each applicant on export-readiness, product potential, packaging and the mandatory approvals already held. An exporter applying for cocoa, cashew or shea should arrive with a current NEPC registration certificate, a registered product and a pack labelled to the importing country.

What does the NEPC certification window cover?

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council states, in a notice dated 2 October 2026, that it is implementing free international voluntary certifications, including HACCP and FDA, for Nigerian food and agro-commodity exporters and MSME food processors. Applications are made through the link published in that notice.

Two conditions matter. Applicants may send only one product per product line as a sample to NEPC headquarters before final selection, and sending more than one piece per product line can lead to disqualification. The council also states that it will not be responsible for renewing a certificate once the free exercise has issued it.

This is not a first for the council. In a notice dated 25 November 2022, NEPC recorded that it had fully sponsored HACCP, FDA, HALAL and ISO 22000 certification for 154 MSMEs over the preceding two years, that 80 per cent of those beneficiaries were women-owned businesses, and that 200 more MSMEs were beginning certification for HACCP and FDA.

What does NEPC assess in an application?

The notice sets out six assessment areas.

Assessment area	What the NEPC notice states	Supporting document
Registration with NEPC	Possession of an NEPC Registration Certificate	Certificate of incorporation
Export-readiness of the MSME	Export-readiness of the MSME	Nigerian Export Proceed Form
Export potential of the product	Export potential of the product(s)	Importing country quality specification
Packaging and labelling outlook	Product(s) Packaging/labelling outlook	Packing list and product sample
Mandatory approvals	Possession of NAFDAC, NIS etc. is an added advantage	NAFDAC product registration
Other export-related factors	Other export-related factors	Phytosanitary certificate

The third column reflects documents named in the NAFDAC checklist for an export certificate, which also asks for a certificate of incorporation, a factory cGMP or GHP certificate and a phytosanitary certificate. Certification is not the end of the work: a European buyer will still ask how a consignment was stored and packed, and Fluna's note on how physical quality is written into a West African contract covers that physical side.

Why does voluntary certification change buyer conversations in Europe and the US?

In the European Union, the European Commission records that the food hygiene rules adopted in April 2004, in force since 1 January 2006, require procedures based on HACCP principles. Those principles run from hazard analysis and critical control points to monitoring, corrective action and record-keeping, as listed in the FDA's HACCP guidelines adopted on 14 August 1997.

For the United States, the FDA requires facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold food for consumption there to register, and to renew that registration every two years with an assurance that the FDA may inspect the facility. Note the distinction: the FDA describes registration and inspection access, not a product certification, so the US element of the NEPC programme is a market access step as much as a quality mark. Buyers planning volume months ahead expect similar discipline: the new-crop booking guide for Ugandan coffee sets out how far ahead a forward commitment is agreed.

FAQ

Q: Who can apply for the free NEPC certification?
A: The notice of 2 October 2026 invites exporters of agricultural commodities and MSMEs producing value-added products, especially processed food and cosmetics.

Q: What is the deadline for NEPC certification applications?
A: Applications must reach the NEPC by Friday 30 October 2026, and samples must be sent to the council headquarters before final selection.

Q: Does the free certificate remain valid after it is issued?
A: The council states it will not be responsible for the renewal of expired certificates issued in the course of the free voluntary certification exercise.