Non-oil Exports Rise By 19.6% In H1 – NEPC

Nigeria’s export promotion agency said on Monday that its non-oil exports rose 19.6 per cent to $3.225 billion in the first half of 2025. The agency cited global demand for products such as cocoa and urea, government trade initiatives, and regional trade deals.

Chief executive of Nigeria’s Export Promotion Council, Nonye Ayeni, said the volume of non-oil exports increased to 4.04 million metric tons from 3.83 million tons in the first half of 2024.

Products such as cocoa beans, urea/fertiliser, and cashew nuts dominated exports, with cocoa accounting for around 35 per cent of total export value.

“Cocoa and its derivatives topped Nigeria’s non-oil exports, driven by rising global demand, higher prices, and increased local processing capacity,” Ayeni said.

“Non-oil products exported in the first half of 2025 were valued at $3.225bn. This shows an increase of 19.59 per cent as against the sum of $2.696bn recorded for the first half of the year 2024,” she said.

The NEPC boss noted that the growth in export value was matched by a rise in shipment volume, recalling that in the first quarter alone, non-oil exports were valued at $1.791bn, a 24.75 per cent rise over the $1.436bn posted in Q1 2024.

Volumes in the same quarter increased to 2.416 million metric tonnes, up 24.3 per cent from the 1.937 million metric tonnes shipped in the corresponding period last year.

The African Continental Free Trade Area also bolstered Nigeria’s exports, providing wider market access and tariff relief, while government-backed initiatives like training programmes helped exporters meet international standards.

Ayeni said Indorama Eleme Fertiliser Ltd. topped the list of exporters, followed by Starlink Global and Dangote Fertiliser Ltd.