Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has revealed that the country’s non-oil exports recorded $1.791 billion as revenue in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025.
Speaking on Monday in Abuja, Nonye Ayeni, Executive Director of NEPC, said the figure reflects a 24.75% increase compared to the $1.436 billion recorded in Q1 2024.
Ayeni noted that 2024 marked the council’s highest export value since its establishment 49 years ago, with total exports rising 20.77% year-on-year — from $4.517 billion in 2023 to $5.456 billion in 2024.
She added, “The council working with our supervising ministry, federal ministry of industry, trade and investment, and other stakeholders remains committed towards continuing this trajectory of increasing the volume and value of non-oil exports from Nigeria by providing support to the exporting community in the areas of capacity building, standardisation, enhancing market access and others”.
The NEPC ED noted that these efforts are impacting positively on non-oil export volumes and proceeds.
She attributed this growth to the council’s ongoing efforts in capacity building, standardization, and enhanced market access through initiatives like the “Double Your Exports” campaign.
In terms of volume, non-oil exports rose to 2.416 million metric tonnes in Q1 2025, a 243.44% increase over the 1.937 million metric tonnes recorded in the same period last year.
The number of distinct products exported also grew from 162 in Q1 2024 to 197 in Q1 2025. These products included manufactured goods, semi-processed goods, industrial extracts, and agricultural commodities.
According to pre-shipment inspection agents, cocoa and its derivatives topped the list of exported products, accounting for 45.02% of total non-oil exports. Fertilizer (urea) followed at 19.32%, with cashew nuts ranking third at 5.81%.
Major exporting companies included Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemical Limited and Starlink Global & Ideal Limited, contributing 12.07% and 10% of total export value, respectively.
Ayeni further stated that ten ECOWAS countries imported Nigerian products valued at $63.06 million during Q1 2025, representing a 223.10% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
In addition to ECOWAS countries, Nigeria exported $32.732 million worth of goods to other African nations, accounting for 1.83% of total export earnings.
She concluded by emphasizing that the growth in non-oil exports supports the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), envisioned as the world’s largest free trade area by both size and number of countries, connecting the 55 countries in Africa with 1.3 million people.
