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Nigeria’s solid mineral exports rose by N113.53 billion year-on-year to N249.70 billion in the first half of 2026, reflecting a sharp increase in the value of mineral products shipped during the period.
An analysis by Nairametrics of the Q1 and Q2 2026 Foreign Trade Statistics reports released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows that solid mineral exports increased from N58.87 billion in Q1 2025 to N102.80 billion in Q1 2026.
The growth continued in the second quarter, with exports climbing to N146.91 billion from N77.31 billion in Q2 2025. Combined, exports rose from N136.17 billion in H1 2025 to N249.70 billion in H1 2026, representing an increase of about 83.4%.
What the data is saying
The Q2 performance accounted for about 59% of Nigeria’s solid mineral exports in the first half of 2026, compared with roughly 41% in Q1.
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- Solid mineral products also increased their share of total exports. The category accounted for 0.49% of total exports in Q1 2026, up from 0.29% in Q1 2025, while its share rose to 0.54% in Q2 2026 from 0.34% a year earlier.
- Within Q2, monthly exports stood at N50.43 billion in April, N39.27 billion in May and N57.20 billion in June, with June recording the highest monthly value.
The figures point to increased activity in Nigeria’s mineral export trade, although solid minerals still account for a relatively small proportion of the country’s overall exports.
Get up to speed
The stronger export performance comes as the Federal Government steps up reforms aimed at formalising mining operations, improving revenue collection and encouraging local processing.
- In April, the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) took over the collection of mineral royalties from mining operators following the implementation of the Nigeria Tax Laws 2025.
- The administration has also introduced measures to promote local value addition and tighten licensing requirements in the sector. These policies have helped attract more than $800 million in processing projects, according to earlier reports.
- The sector generated more than N38 billion in revenue in 2024, compared with N6 billion in 2023, despite receiving only 18% of its N29 billion budgeted allocation that year.
At the state level, Kaduna Governor Uba Sani announced in May 2025 that the state was in discussions with Atlantic Mining Techniques Limited over a proposed $300 million investment in its solid minerals industry.
What you should know
The increase in solid mineral exports suggests that the government’s efforts to formalise the sector and attract investment are beginning to translate into higher export activity.
- However, the relatively small contribution of solid minerals to total exports indicates significant room for expansion.
- Developing processing capacity rather than relying mainly on the export of unprocessed minerals could further increase the sector’s contribution to foreign exchange earnings, government revenue and industrial activity.
- The Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) previously reported that the solid minerals sector contributed N1.137 trillion to federal, state and local government revenues between 2007 and 2023, highlighting the sector’s broader revenue potential.
In 2025, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, said the Federal Government collected N6.96 billion in mining fees in the first quarter alone.
