Nigeria’s import bill for boilers, machinery, and appliances reached N8.64 trillion in the first nine months of 2025, reflecting sustained industrial activity and infrastructural expansion across the country.
This is according to Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The category encompassing boilers, machinery, and appliances covers a broad spectrum of mechanical and electrical equipment essential for power generation, heat production, and mechanical operations across domestic, commercial, and industrial settings.
According to the NBS, Nigeria’s import values for boilers, machinery, and appliances in 2025 were N2.87 trillion in the first quarter, N3.18 trillion in the second quarter, and N2.59 trillion in the third quarter.
This brought the cumulative total to N8.64 trillion, highlighting the country’s continued dependence on imported mechanical and electrical equipment essential for power generation, heat production, and a broad range of mechanical operations across domestic, commercial, and industrial sectors.
The imported goods include power-generation machinery, industrial production equipment, electrical appliances, heating systems, and other key components necessary for construction, manufacturing, oil and gas operations, and other large-scale commercial activities.
Import trends over recent years
For perspective, Nigeria imported machinery worth N9.72 trillion throughout 2024, indicating that the pace of machinery imports in 2025 is on track to match or potentially exceed last year’s record.
This is a significant jump from N5.04 trillion spent in 2023, and N4.34 trillion in 2022, according to NBS data.
Historical data from the NBS also reveals that Nigeria’s spending on machinery imports was N3.02 trillion in 2020 and N4.19 trillion in 2021, showing a clear upward trend as the economy recovers and industrial demand intensifies.
What this means
The N8.64 trillion spent on imported boilers, machinery, and appliances in the first nine months of 2025 demonstrates Nigeria’s robust industrial activity and ongoing infrastructural development.
This substantial import bill demonstrates the country’s heavy reliance on foreign-made mechanical and electrical equipment, which are critical for powering industries, generating heat, and supporting a wide array of mechanical functions in domestic, commercial, and industrial sectors.
The steady rise in import values compared to previous years—nearly doubling from N4.34 trillion in 2022 to an expected total exceeding N9 trillion in 2025—reflects accelerating industrial demand.
It also signals that Nigeria’s economy is expanding, with key sectors like manufacturing, construction, oil and gas, and power generation requiring increasingly sophisticated equipment.
What you should know
According to the NBS, the industrial sector grew by 3.77% in Q3 2025, up from 2.78% in the same period of 2024, while the services sector expanded by 4.15%, down from 4.97% in Q3 2024.
NBS data show that imports accounted for 41.41% of Nigeria’s total trade in Q3 2025, reaching N16.12 trillion.
This marks a 5.51% increase from N15.28 trillion in Q3 2024 and a 5.47% rise from N15.29 trillion in the preceding quarter. Despite the increase in imports, Nigeria maintained a positive merchandise trade balance during the period.
The trade surplus stood at N6.69 trillion, though this reflects a 10.36% decline from the N7.46 trillion posted in Q2 2025, largely due to the faster pace of import growth relative to exports.
