Nigeria’s non-oil exports surged to an unprecedented $6.1 billion in 2025, the highest figure since the creation of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) nearly five decades ago.
The performance reflects an 11.5% increase compared to the $5.4 billion recorded in 2024, underscoring the country’s growing success in diversifying its economy away from crude oil.
The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of NEPC, Nonye Ayeni, announced the figures on Monday in Abuja during her annual progress report and 2026 non-oil export outlook briefing.
“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,” Ayeni declared.
Export Growth Across Commodities
Ayeni explained that the achievement was not only in value but also in volume. Nigeria exported 8.02 million metric tonnes of non-oil products in 2025, compared to 7.29 million metric tonnes in 2024, representing a 10% increase.
She highlighted that the growth cut across agricultural commodities, processed and semi-processed goods, industrial inputs, and solid minerals.
“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,” she said.
Ayeni emphasized that the $6.1 billion figure represents the highest non-oil export value ever documented in Nigeria’s formal trade records.
“This marks the highest non-oil export value achieved in the country for formal documented trade and also from the inception of the council almost 50 years ago,” she noted.
Informal Trade and Policy Challenges
Despite the milestone, Ayeni cautioned that the figures do not fully capture Nigeria’s export potential. A significant portion of non-oil trade still occurs informally across land borders, escaping official documentation.
She revealed that NEPC is collaborating with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and other stakeholders to integrate informal trade into official records. The goal is to improve data accuracy and strengthen policy support for exporters.
Ayeni added that reforms, export incentives, and capacity-building initiatives would be intensified in 2026 to sustain growth. “We will continue to expand Nigeria’s non-oil export footprint through ongoing reforms and stronger support for exporters,” she assured.
The record performance comes at a time when the government is seeking to boost foreign exchange earnings, stabilize the naira, and reduce vulnerability to oil price shocks.
By increasing non-oil revenues, Nigeria aims to strengthen its economic resilience and broaden its participation in global trade.
The achievement also reflects renewed efforts to position Nigeria as a competitive exporter of agricultural and industrial products, moving beyond raw commodities to processed and value-added goods.
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