The Nigerian Export Promotion Council ( NEPC) has disclosed that Nigeria recorded $1.791 billion in the first quarter of 2025 from the Non– Oil sector as against the $1.436 billion realized in the same period of 2024.
This it said represents a 24.75 per cent increase.
NEPC Executive Director, Nonye Ayeni, made the disclosures yesterday at the presentation of the first quarter progress report on the Non– oil exports performance for year 2025.
Ayeni said that the Non-oil export volume also increased to 2.416 million metric tonnes, displaying an increase of 243.44 present from 1.937 million Metric Tons recorded in first quarter 2024.
The NEPC Chief Executive Officer explained that the products exported in the first quarter of the year 2025, stood at a total of Hundred and Ninety-Seven (197) .
She stressed that the figure reflects an increase when compared to the Hundred and Sixty-Two (162) products recorded in the First Quarter of 2024.
According to her, these products ranged from manufactured and semi-processed goods, to industrial extracts, and agricultural commodities, amongst others.
“Based on information received from Pre-shipment Inspection Agents (PIAs), of the top-20 products exported in the first quarter of 2025, Cocoa and its derivatives including Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Liquor, Cocoa Cake came first, followed by Urea, Cashew Nut, Sesame Seed, Gold Dore, Cocoa Butter, Aluminium Ingots, Copper Ingot, Soya Beans/meal, Rubber were the top of the list.
“The top commodity in terms of total non-oil export, accounting for 45.02 percent was Cocoa Beans. Urea/Fertilizer held the second position at 19.32 percent while Cashew Nuts came third with 5.81 percent of the total exported products respectively.
On performing export companies, the NEPC boss also revealed that the top 20 leading export companies includes Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemical Limited and Starlink Global & Ideal Limited maintained their position as the first and second with 12.07 percent and 10.00 percent
She attributed this to their notable export values of fertilizer and Cocoa products.
On export to African Countries, she added that ten (10) member countries of ECOWAS actively engaged in importing Nigerian products throughout the First Quarter of the year 2025.
“These exports, totaling 362,126.92 metric tons and amounting to US$ 63.060 million, constituted 3.52 percent of the total export value and also a significant increase of 223.10 percent when compared to the recorded figure of $ 19.517 million for the First Quarter of the year 2024.
“Nigeria also exported to other African countries in the first quarter of 2025 as the value of these exports, totaling 281,480.29 Metric Tons valued $ 32.732 million, represented 1.83 percent of the total export value”
She stated that these are evidence to show that the non-oil export is increasing and all stakeholders are taking advantage of the potentials and opportunities inherent in the sector stressing that it also lays credence to the fact that AFCFTA holds the key to Intra African trade as it promises to be the largest free trade area in the world both by area and by the number of countries, connecting 55 countries in Africa with 1.3 million people.
