Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Nigeria’s drive to diversify its economy gained fresh momentum in 2025 as non-oil exports hit an all-time high of $6.1 billion, representing an 11.5 percent increase over 2024, according to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC.
The NEPC disclosed that export volumes climbed to 8.02 million metric tonnes, with 281 different products shipped to 120 countries, marking the strongest performance ever recorded by the non-oil export sector.
Key export destinations included the Netherlands, Brazil and India, while earnings were largely driven by cocoa and cocoa derivatives, urea fertilizer, cashew nuts, sesame seeds and solid minerals.
Cocoa emerged as Nigeria’s biggest non-oil export earner in 2025, accounting for $1.99 billion, or 32.76 percent of total non-oil export revenue, with an export volume of 330,729 metric tonnes.
Other major contributors were cashew nuts valued at $456.93 million, sesame seeds at $300.37 million, and cocoa butter worth $209 million.
Additional agricultural exports included cashew kernels, soya bean meal and cowpeas, underscoring the growing breadth of Nigeria’s export basket.
The Council attributed the strong performance to policy reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which it said have strengthened export competitiveness, improved market access and supported value addition across agriculture and solid minerals.
According to the NEPC, the surge in non-oil exports reflects “Nigeria’s expanding footprint in global trade,” while also contributing to economic diversification, foreign exchange earnings and job creation.
The record performance signals renewed confidence in Nigeria’s non-oil economy, as the country seeks to reduce its dependence on crude oil and build a more resilient, export-driven growth model.
