Nigeria’s non-oil export sector recorded its strongest performance on record in 2025, with export earnings rising to $6.1bn, reflecting renewed momentum in the country’s long-running push to diversify its economy away from crude oil.
The latest figure represents an 11.5 per cent increase from the $5.4bn recorded in 2024 and stands as the highest value achieved since the establishment of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) nearly 50 years ago. The performance underscores steady gains in formal, documented trade and growing activity across multiple non-oil value chains.
Data from pre-shipment inspection agencies indicate that the record outcome was driven by improved market access, expanding product range, and increased participation across agricultural, industrial, and mineral exports. The result marks a new benchmark for Nigeria’s non-oil trade and signals progress in efforts to build more resilient sources of foreign exchange.
Presenting the council’s annual progress report and 2026 outlook in Abuja on Monday, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NEPC, Nonye Ayeni, described the 2025 performance as a historic milestone, noting that it surpassed all previous records achieved by the sector.
In addition to export value, shipment volumes also rose markedly. Total non-oil export volume reached 8.02 million metric tonnes in 2025, up from 7.29 million metric tonnes in 2024, representing a 10 per cent increase. The growth cut across raw agricultural commodities, processed and semi-processed goods, industrial inputs, and solid minerals, reflecting gradual improvements in value addition and product diversification.
Ayeni disclosed that Nigeria exported 281 distinct non-oil products during the year, pointing to deeper integration into global value chains and a slow but steady shift toward higher-value exports.
Despite the strong results, she cautioned that the official figures do not yet reflect the full scale of Nigeria’s export activity. A sizeable portion of trade continues to take place informally across land borders, remaining outside official documentation. According to her, the NEPC is collaborating with the National Bureau of Statistics, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and other relevant agencies to capture informal trade, improve data quality, and strengthen policy support for exporters.
Looking ahead, the council plans to intensify reforms, export incentives, and capacity-building programmes in 2026 to sustain growth and further expand Nigeria’s non-oil export base.
The record performance comes as the federal government steps up efforts to boost foreign exchange earnings, stabilise the naira, and reduce the economy’s exposure to oil price volatility by strengthening non-oil export revenues.