Nigeria’s non-oil trade reached a historic high of $6.1 billion in 2025, marking the strongest performance ever recorded for the sector, as the country deepens efforts to diversify its economy away from crude oil. The figure represents an 11.5 percent increase from the $5.4 billion recorded in 2024, according to data released by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) at its annual briefing in Abuja.
The NEPC said export volumes rose by about 10 percent to 8.02 million metric tonnes, with 281 non-oil products shipped to 120 countries across Europe, Asia and the Americas. Key export destinations included the Netherlands, Brazil and India, while leading products ranged from cocoa and cashew nuts to urea, aluminium ingots and sesame seeds, as outlined by nairametrics.
NEPC Executive Director Nonye Ayeni said the record outcome reflects steady gains from policy reforms, improved export documentation and expanding market access, noting that non-oil trade is becoming a more reliable source of foreign exchange. Industry observers say the results underscore Nigeria’s growing competitiveness in agricultural and industrial value chains, as reported by business insider Africa.
Analysts, however, caution that a large volume of informal cross-border trade remains outside official data. The export council said ongoing efforts to formalise informal trade and strengthen value addition will be critical to sustaining momentum and lifting non-oil earnings further in the coming years.
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