THE Nigerian government said its decision to enhance value addition for various non-oil exports, including cocoa, sesame, cotton, and hibiscus leaves (commonly known as zobo), contributed to the increase in non-oil revenue figures in 2025.
The Director-General of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Nonye Ayeni, who disclosed this on Tuesday, January 20, said exporters were prioritising value addition over raw material exports with refresher trainings for exporters coordinated by the Council.
She said Nigeria’s non-oil exports climbed to a historic high of $6.1 billion in 2025, representing an 11.5 per cent increase from the $5.4 billion recorded in 2024.
She also said Nigeria targeted improvement of its raw materials to avert pressures from Trump’s tariff trade war and improve revenue generation.
“Specifically, in Africa, we exported to 11 ECOWAS countries and 25 other African countries…We also exported cosmetics, cocoa, foodstuffs, and spices to Ghana. A good number of our goods have a good showing in several African countries and Europe,” she said.
On non-oil exports to the US, she noted, “Incidentally, there was an increase in our exports to the United States because of value-addition. From cocoa, we added value and exported cocoa butter, cocoa paste and cocoa liquor.
“We also exported hibiscus, textiles and sesame to the United States,” she added.
Ayeni said data obtained from pre-shipment inspection agencies showed that Nigeria had surpassed its previous performance, describing the 2025 outcome as a milestone for formal, documented trade, citing value-addition impact.
She stressed that Nigeria was also exploring opportunities in the Intra-African trade through the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCTA), adding that “75 exporters were sent to Algeria in 2025 for the African Intra-African trade for matchmaking of businesses for export purposes and exchange of trade ideas and business facilitation.
“This 2025 figure marks the highest non-oil export value achieved in the country for formally documented trade in the country and also from the inception of the council almost 50 years ago. So we have indeed beaten our own records of last year. So, Nigeria has 6.1 billion US dollars in terms of value for non-oil export,” she said.
According to her, the $6.1 billon 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.
“In 2025 alone, Nigeria exported a total of 281 non-oil products. This reflects our steady transition towards value-added exports and deeper integration into global value chains,” Ayeni stated.
The NEPC boss also cautioned that the “impressive figures” did not fully capture the country’s export potential, noting that a significant volume of trade still occurred informally across Nigeria’s land borders.
She said the council was working with the National Bureau of Statistics, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), 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.
Harrison Edeh is a journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, always determined to drive advocacy for good governance through holding public officials and businesses accountable.