Nigeria’s non-oil exports climbed to an unprecedented $6.1bn in 2025, representing the strongest performance recorded in the sector since the establishment of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council nearly five decades ago.
The 2025 figure reflects an 11.5 per cent year-on-year increase compared to the $5.4bn recorded in 2024, highlighting sustained momentum in Nigeria’s drive to diversify its economy away from dependence on crude oil revenues.
The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Nonye Ayeni, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during her annual progress report and the 2026 non-oil export outlook briefing.
Ayeni explained that data obtained from pre-shipment inspection agencies confirmed that Nigeria had exceeded its previous export records, describing the 2025 performance as a historic milestone for formal and documented non-oil trade.
“Ladies and gentlemen, based on the records obtained from pre-shipment inspection agencies, Nigerian non-oil export performance in 2025 reached an all-time high. The non-oil export sector rose to approximately 6.1 billion U.S. dollars, representing a year-on-year growth of about 11.5 per cent over and above the 5.4 billion U.S. dollars 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. So Nigeria has 6.1 billion U.S. dollars in terms of value for non-oil export.”
She noted that the $6.1bn export value was driven by improved performance across multiple value chains, supported by expanding market access and increasing diversification of export products.
Beyond export value, Ayeni revealed that non-oil export volumes also recorded notable growth, with total exports reaching 8.02 million metric tonnes in 2025, compared to 7.29 million metric tonnes in 2024, representing a 10 per cent increase.
She stated that the improved performance spanned agricultural commodities, processed and semi-processed goods, industrial inputs, and solid minerals, reflecting gradual progress in value addition and wider product representation in Nigeria’s export basket.
“In 2025 alone, Nigeria exported a total of 281 non-oil products. This reflects our steady transition towards value-added exports and deeper integration into global value chains,” Ayeni stated.
However, the NEPC chief cautioned that the strong figures did not fully reflect Nigeria’s actual export potential, noting that a considerable volume of trade continues to take place informally across the country’s land borders.
She disclosed that the council was collaborating with the National Bureau of Statistics, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and other stakeholders to integrate informal trade into official export data, enhance accuracy, and strengthen policy support for exporters.
Ayeni added that reforms, export incentives, and capacity-building initiatives would be scaled up in 2026 to sustain growth and further expand Nigeria’s non-oil export footprint.
The latest performance comes amid renewed government efforts to boost foreign exchange earnings, stabilise the naira, and reduce the economy’s exposure to oil price volatility by deepening non-oil export revenues.
