Nigeria’s non-oil exports reach record $6.1bn in 2025 — NEPC
Story by Martha Gwary
Nigeria’s non-oil exports climbed to a historic high of $6.1bn in 2025, marking the strongest performance in the sector since the establishment of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) nearly 50 years ago.
The figure represents an 11.5 per cent year-on-year increase from the $5.4bn recorded in 2024, highlighting growing momentum in the country’s drive to diversify its economy away from crude oil dependence.
The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NEPC, Mrs Nonye Ayeni, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during the council’s annual progress report and 2026 non-oil export outlook briefing.
Ayeni said data from pre-shipment inspection agencies showed that Nigeria had exceeded its previous best performance, describing the 2025 outcome as a landmark achievement for formal, documented trade.
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According to her, the $6.1bn export value reflects stronger activity across several value chains, driven by expanding market access and increasing product diversification.
She noted that export volumes also recorded significant growth, with total non-oil exports rising to 8.02 million metric tonnes in 2025, compared with 7.29 million metric tonnes in 2024 — an increase of about 10 per cent.
Ayeni explained that the improved performance spanned agricultural commodities, processed and semi-processed goods, industrial inputs and solid minerals, signalling gradual progress in value addition and broader product representation.
“In 2025 alone, Nigeria exported a total of 281 non-oil products. This underscores our steady transition towards value-added exports and deeper integration into global value chains,” she said.
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However, the NEPC chief cautioned that the impressive figures did not fully reflect the country’s export potential, noting that a substantial volume of trade still takes place informally across Nigeria’s land borders.
She said the council was working closely with the National Bureau of Statistics, the Central Bank of Nigeria and other stakeholders to integrate informal trade into official export records, enhance data accuracy and strengthen policy support for exporters.
Ayeni added that ongoing reforms, export incentives and capacity-building programmes would be intensified in 2026 to sustain growth and further expand Nigeria’s non-oil export footprint.
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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.
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