Nigeria records 14% rise in exports to African countries

Nigeria’s exports to African countries rose by 14 per cent year-on-year to N4.82 trillion in the first half of 2025, compared with N4.21 trillion recorded in the same period of 2024.

Data show that West Africa remained the dominant destination for Nigerian goods, absorbing more than 62 per cent of the country’s total exports to the continent.

Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, was quoted as saying the trend highlights Nigeria’s growing importance as a hub for intra-African trade and regional value chains. According to him, the increase is “a clear signal of strengthening regional trade momentum.”

Figures from the National Bureau of Statistics reviewed by Ecofin Agency indicate that countries in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) purchased goods worth N2.995 trillion from Nigeria during the period, representing over 62 per cent of Nigeria’s African exports and a 16 per cent year-on-year increase.

Fuel products topped Nigeria’s export list to the region, with purchases amounting to nearly N298 billion.

Despite the growth, exports to Africa accounted for only about 10 per cent of Nigeria’s total exports in the first half of 2025, which stood at an estimated N43.3 trillion.

Africa ranked as Nigeria’s fourth-largest export destination, behind Europe with N17.3 trillion, Asia with N14.1 trillion and the Americas with N6.9 trillion.

Meanwhile, Nigeria has continued to implement measures aimed at boosting trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). These include tariff concessions and the launch of an air freight corridor to East Africa in May 2025, a move expected to cut export costs to the region by between 50 and 75 per cent.