Nigeria’s non-oil export sector achieved its strongest performance on record in 2025, with earnings reaching $6.1 billion and goods shipped to 120 countries across five continents, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has confirmed, as officials called on stakeholders to place women-led businesses at the centre of the country’s next export phase.
The $6.1 billion figure represents an 11.5 percent increase from the $5.46 billion recorded in 2024 and is the highest ever achieved for formally documented non-oil trade since the council’s founding. Export volume rose by 10 percent to 8.02 million metric tonnes, while Nigeria shipped 281 non-oil products spanning agriculture, processed goods, industrial inputs, and solid minerals.
NEPC Executive Director Nonye Ayeni disclosed the figures in Abuja at a conference on strengthening women-led businesses for economic resilience and inclusive growth, framing the milestone as proof that Nigeria’s diversification drive is producing tangible results.
The top performing export products included cocoa beans, urea, cashew nuts, sesame seeds, gold doré, aluminium ingots, and rubber, with cocoa beans alone accounting for $1.99 billion, or nearly a third of total non-oil export value. The Netherlands, Brazil, and India ranked as the top three destinations by value, receiving 17.53 percent, 10.35 percent, and 7.63 percent of exports respectively.
Ayeni credited the growth to improved compliance with export documentation, better coordination among regulatory agencies, and a growing shift toward value-added products. She described Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as the backbone of the expansion, noting that they account for roughly 96 percent of businesses in Nigeria and that women represent approximately 40 percent of SME operators.
Special Adviser to the President on Export Expansion, Aliyu Sheriff, urged stakeholders to remove barriers to finance and market access for women exporters. “Our women must not just participate in trade; they must compete, dominate and lead,” he said.
Nichole Mensah, Special Assistant to the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), said women-led businesses in Nigeria are driving innovation despite structural challenges, and highlighted the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy initiative as a programme helping women-owned enterprises compete in global markets.
Within Africa, Nigeria exported non-oil products worth $271.26 million to 11 ECOWAS countries, though the figure declined from 2024 levels following the exit of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the regional bloc.
