Nigeria’s non-oil exports rose to an all-time high of $6.1bn in 2025, marking the strongest performance in the sector since the establishment of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council nearly five decades ago.
The figure represents an 11.5 per cent year-on-year increase over the $5.4bn recorded in 2024, underscoring growing momentum in the country’s diversification drive away from crude oil dependence.
The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NEPC, Nonye Ayeni, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during her annual progress report and 2026 non-oil export outlook briefing.
Ayeni said data obtained from pre-shipment inspection agencies showed that Nigeria had surpassed its previous best performance, describing the 2025 outcome as a historic milestone for formal, documented trade.According to her, the $6.1bn export value reflects improved activity across several value chains, supported by expanding market access and increasing product diversification.Beyond value, Ayeni noted that export volumes also rose significantly, with total non-oil exports hitting 8.02 million metric tonnes in 2025, compared with 7.29 million metric tonnes in 2024, representing a 10 per cent increase.
She explained that the strong performance cut across agricultural commodities, processed and semi-processed goods, industrial inputs, and solid minerals, indicating gradual progress in value addition and broader product representation.She said the council was working with the National Bureau of Statistics, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and other stakeholders to mainstream informal trade into official export records, improve data accuracy, and strengthen policy support for exporters.
Ayeni added that ongoing reforms, export incentives, and capacity-building initiatives would be intensified in 2026 to sustain growth and expand Nigeria’s non-oil export footprint.
The latest performance comes amid renewed government efforts to boost foreign exchange earnings, stabilise the naira, and reduce the economy’s vulnerability to oil price shocks by deepening non-oil export revenues.