Nigeria’s non-oil exports rose to $3.225 billion in the first half of 2025, marking a 19.59% increase compared to $2.696 billion recorded in the same period of 2024, according to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC).
The announcement was made by NEPC Director-General, Nonye Ayeni, during the presentation of the H1 2025 Non-Oil Export Performance Report in Abuja on Sunday.
According to her, export volumes also climbed to 4.04 million metric tonnes in H1 2025, up from 3.83 million metric tonnes in the same period last year.
Ayeni recalled that Q1 2025 exports alone were valued at $1.791 billion, representing a 24.75% increase from $1.436 billion in Q1 2024. Volumes in Q1 2025 also grew by 24.3% to 2.416 million metric tonnes.
Export basket broadens
She disclosed that Nigeria exported 236 distinct products in the first half of the year, up 16.83% from 202 products in H1 2024.
- Exports included agricultural commodities, extractive industry products, manufactured goods, and semi-processed items.
- Ayeni noted a gradual diversification away from traditional agricultural goods toward higher-value semi-manufactured products.
“However, it is pertinent to state that the non-oil export of Nigerian products is gradually diversifying from traditional agriculture exports to semi-manufactured products,” she said.
Ayeni noted that based on the data received from Pre-shipment Inspection Agents (PIAs), of the top 20 products exported in the first half of this year, cocoa beans was the highest.
She said that the product had 34.88 per cent value in terms of total export compared to 23.18 per cent for the same period in 2024.
“Urea/fertiliser came second with 17.65 per cent as against 13.78% for the first half of 2024,” she added.
AfCFTA and value addition boost exports
Ayeni credited the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) for expanding market access and reducing tariffs for Nigerian exporters.
- She also highlighted NEPC’s intervention programmes — including capacity building on quality, standards, packaging, export documentation, and certifications — as critical enablers of export growth.
- She noted that emerging economies such as India, Brazil, Vietnam, and several African countries have driven higher demand for Nigerian non-oil exports.
- The increase in value-added exports, she said, has also boosted earnings, as more Nigerian exporters embrace product transformation before shipment.
- Ayeni reaffirmed NEPC’s commitment to collaborating with the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment and other stakeholders to further increase export value and volume.
According to her, the efforts were in alignment with the President Bola Tinubu-led administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the policy drive of the ministry.
