ABUJA — Nigeria’s non-oil exports in the first half of 2025 were valued at $3.225 billion, representing a 19.59 per cent increase over the $2.696 billion recorded in the same period of 2024, according to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC).
Director-General of the NEPC, Mrs Nonye Ayeni, announced the figures in Abuja yesterday while presenting the council’s 2025 half-year Non-Oil Export Performance Report.
She said that export volumes also rose to 4.04 million metric tonnes from 3.83 million metric tonnes in the corresponding period last year.
Ayeni recalled that in the first quarter alone, non-oil exports were worth $1.791 billion, up 24.75 per cent from $1.436 billion in Q1 2024, with volumes rising by 24.3 per cent to 2.416 million metric tonnes.
A total of 236 distinct products were exported in the first half of the year, a 16.83 per cent increase over the 202 items exported in the same period last year.
The export basket included agricultural commodities, extractive products, manufactured goods and semi-processed items, with a gradual shift from traditional agricultural exports to more value-added products.
Based on Pre-Shipment Inspection Agents’ data, cocoa beans led the top 20 products with 34.88 per cent of total export value, up from 23.18 per cent in H1 2024. Urea/fertiliser followed with 17.65 per cent, compared to 13.78 per cent last year.
On regional trade, Ayeni disclosed that Nigeria exported 663 million metric tonnes of products to 11 ECOWAS countries in the first half of 2025, while 488 million metric tonnes worth $83.54 million went to 21 African countries outside ECOWAS, an increase of 2.59 per cent of total export value, up from 1.96 per cent in H1 2024.
She said the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was opening wider market access and tariff relief for Nigerian exporters, particularly Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), boosting intra-African trade and driving economic growth.
Indorama Eleme Fertiliser and Chemical Ltd and Starlink Global and Ideal Ltd retained their positions as the top two export companies, with 11.92 per cent and 8.82 per cent shares of total exports, respectively.
During the review period, 29 banks processed export transactions, opening 10,214 Nigeria Export Proceed Forms (NXPs) for non-oil exports. Zenith Bank Plc led with 31.98 per cent, followed by First Bank Nigeria Plc (12.44 per cent) and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc (11.47 per cent).
Exports were routed through 18 exit points, eight seaports, three international airports and seven land borders, with seaports accounting for 94.15 per cent of total shipments.
The NEPC also organised more than 252 capacity-building programmes nationwide, reaching 27,352 participants on export documentation, procedures, readiness, Good Agricultural Practices, Good Warehousing Practice, Good Manufacturing Practice, packaging and labelling.
Ayeni commended the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment for its support and reiterated the council’s commitment to expanding Nigeria’s non-oil export base in line with the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
