Nigeria’s non-oil export sector is off to a flying start in 2025, with a remarkable 24.75 per cent increase in earnings, reaching $1.791 billion in the first quarter.
This latest performance is up from $1.436 billion in the same period in 2024.
Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC, Nonye Ayeni, disclosed this at a press conference on the official presentation of the Q1 Non-Oil Export Performance Report in Abuja.
Ayeni said the achievement builds on the record-setting $5.456 billion non-oil export in 2024, the highest in NEPC’s 49-year history.
According to her, export volume for the quarter reached 2.416 million metric tonnes, representing a staggering 243.44 per cent increase over the 1.937 million metric tonnes recorded in Q1 2024.
She said a total of 197 different products were exported, up from 162 in the previous year, ranging from agricultural commodities to manufactured and semi-processed goods, as well as industrial extracts.
Cocoa and its derivatives, including butter, liquor, and cake, maintained dominance, accounting for 45.02 per cent of the total export value, while Urea/Fertilizer followed at 19.32 per cent, amd Cashew Nuts held third place at 5.81 per cent.
Other key export items included Sesame Seeds, Gold Dore, Aluminium and Copper Ingots, Soybean products, and Rubber.
Among the top 20 exporting companies, Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemicals Ltd. and Starlink Global & Ideal Ltd. retained their leading positions, contributing 12.07 per cent and 10.00 per cent respectively to total export value, driven by fertilizer and cocoa product exports.
In terms of financial facilitation, Ayeni said Zenith Bank Plc led the field, processing 30.71 per cent of all export declarations, while First Bank of Nigeria and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc followed with 14.22 per cent and 8.89 per cent respectively.
NEPC reported heightened trade activities within Africa, particularly the ECOWAS subregion.
It noted that ten ECOWAS member states imported 362,127 metric tonnes of Nigerian products valued at $63.06 million, a 223 per cent increase over the $19.517 million recorded in Q1 2024.
Exports to other African countries totaled $32.73 million, underscoring the growing relevance of the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA, framework.
Ayeni emphasized Nigeria’s strategic aim to become the continent’s leading export hub, aligning with AfCFTA’s goal of creating the world’s largest free trade area by landmass and population.
About 95 per cent of exports were routed through seaports, with 16 exit points in total, including six seaports, three international airports, and seven land borders.
Top destination countries included the Netherlands, Belgium, and Brazil, reflecting a diverse global reach spanning Africa, Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania.
The Council organized 64 capacity-building programmes across Nigeria’s six geo-political zones, training 6,821 participants on standards, packaging, logistics, warehousing, and e-commerce.
Through its “Go Global, Go Certification” initiative, NEPC sponsored FDA and HACCP international certifications for 105 MSME exporters, with another 100 in progress.
Ayeni said to deepen backward integration, the Council distributed 4,633 hybrid seedlings across the country.
In Kogi, farmers received oil palm seedlings; over 2,000 cocoa seedlings were distributed in Akure; and 1,500 cocoa and 1,100 coffee seedlings were shared in Bayelsa and Plateau states, respectively.
On digital trade and women empowerment, she said a major Q1 milestone was Nigeria’s selection as one of four global beneficiaries, and the only African country, of the $50 million Women Exporters in the Digital Economy, WEIDE, Fund, launched by WTO Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
She said the fund will enable women-led businesses to access global digital trade platforms.
Ayeni reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to delivering on the diversification agenda of the Federal Government, as enshrined in President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Our vision remains clear—drive inclusive, sustainable economic growth by boosting the volume and value of non-oil exports,” she said.
