With total exports valued at $3.225 billion, marking a 19.59 per cent increase compared to the $2.69 billion posted in the same period of 2024, the country’s non-oil export sector recorded strong growth in the first half of this year.

The Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Nonye Ayeni, disclosed this in Abuja over the weekend, while presenting the first Half-Year Progress Report on Non-Oil Export Performance for 2025. She noted that export volumes also rose to 4.04 million metric tonnes, up from 3.83 million metric tonnes recorded in the corresponding period of 2024.

“It is on this note that I am pleased to inform you that non-oil products exported in the first half of 2025 were valued at $3.225 billion. This shows an increase of 19.59 per cent as against $2.696 billion recorded for the first half of the year 2024.

“The volume also increased to 4.04 million metric tonnes compared to the 3,83 million metric tonnes for the same period of 2024,” she said. Ayeni attributed the growth to a surge in global demand for Nigerian products, increased market access through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and targeted NEPC-led export interventions, such as capacity building, packaging and labelling improvements, export documentation support, as well as market linkage programmes.

She explained that more exporters had started adding value to their products, boosting earnings and expanding into emerging markets like India, Brazil, Vietnam and other African countries.

According to the report, a total of 236 distinct products were exported during the period, a 16.83 per cent increase from the 202 products recorded in the first half of 2024, ranging from agricultural commodities to manufactured and semi-processed goods.

Cocoa and its derivatives dominated non-oil exports, accounting for 41.11 per cent of the total export value, according to data from Pre-shipment Inspection Agents (PIAs) released by the NEPC.

She further explained that this surge was driven by rising global demand, higher international prices and increased local processing capacity, noting that processed cocoa products, including cocoa butter, liquor, and cake, had become a significant part of Nigeria’s exports, reflecting the country’s progress in value addition.

In the product rankings, cocoa beans retained their position as the most exported commodity, contributing 34.88 per cent of total export value in H1 2025, up from 23.18 per cent in the same period of 2024.

On regional performance, Nigeria exported 663 million metric tonnes of goods to 11 ECOWAS countries, while shipments to 21 African countries outside ECOWAS totalled 488 million metric tonnes valued at $83.54 million.