The Nigeria Exports Promotion Council (NEPC) says Nigeria’s non-oil exports rose to $6.1 billion in 2025.
The figure represents an 11.5 percent increase over the $5.4 billion recorded in 2024.
Nonye Ayeni, the executive director and chief executive officer (CEO) of the NEPC, spoke on Monday in Abuja during her annual progress report and 2026 non-oil export outlook briefing.
Ayeni said data obtained from pre-shipment inspection agencies indicate that the 2025 performance marks the highest non-oil export value ever recorded in Nigeria’s history of formal, documented trade and since the establishment of the council nearly 50 years ago.
“Based on the records obtained from pre-shipment inspection agencies, Nigerian non-oil export performance in 2025 reached an all-time high,” the NEPC boss said.
“The non-oil export sector rose to approximately $6.1 billion, representing a year-on-year growth of about 11.5 percent over and above the $5.4 billion recorded in 2024.
“This marks the highest non-oil export value achieved in the country for formal, documented trade in the country and also from the inception of the council almost 50 years ago. So, we have indeed beaten our own records of last year.“
In volume terms, Ayeni said non-oil exports reached 8.02 million metric tonnes in 2025, a 10 percent increase compared to 7.29 million metric tonnes in 2024.
She attributed the growth in both value and volume to improved export activities across multiple value chains and market destinations.
‘NIGERIA EXPORTED 281 NON-OIL PRODUCTS IN 2025’
According to the NEPC boss, Nigeria exported 281 non-oil products during the year, including agricultural commodities, processed and semi-processed goods, industrial inputs, and solid minerals.
She noted that this reflects steady progress toward value addition and broader product diversification in the global market.
The director said Nigeria’s non-oil exports reached 120 countries in 2025, with the Netherlands emerging as the top destination, accounting for 17.53 percent of total exports. Brazil followed with 10.35 percent, while India accounted for 7.63 percent.
“Within African market, Nigeria exported non-oil products to 11 ECOWAS member countries. This export totaled about 1.23 million metric tonnes amounting to $272 million, constituting a 4.6 percent decrease of the total export,” Ayeni added.
“This decrease is as a result of exit of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger from ECOWAS community.”
Despite the strong performance, she cautioned that the figures do not fully reflect Nigeria’s export potential, adding that a significant volume of trade still occurs informally across land borders.
The CEO said the council is working with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and other stakeholders to integrate informal trade into official export records.
Looking ahead, she expressed optimism about the outlook for 2026.
“We believe that 2026 will be very bright and positive, with an upward trajectory in both export volume and value,” she said.
“We will continue to build on key indices such as capacity building, training, and education. These are critical to equipping exporters with the skills and tools they require to be able to play in the global market.”
Ayeni added that the council will intensify collaboration with relevant stakeholders and development partners to implement sensitisation and awareness programmes aimed at sustaining growth in Nigeria’s non-oil export sector.
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