Nigeria’s total trade with other African countries rose to N4.82 trillion in the first six months of 2025.
This shows an increase of N610bn, compared with N4.21 trillion recorded in the same period of 2024.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in the first quarter of 2025, trade fell slightly to N1.86 trillion from N2.24 trillion in the first quarter (Q1) 2024.
However, there was a rebound in the second quarter with trade climbing to N2.97 trillion against N1.98 trillion in second quarter (Q2) 2024, bolstering the increase in the six months period.
According to the NBS, exports accounted for most of the growth, with goods worth N4.82 trillion exported in the first six months of 2025, compared with N4.21 trillion in the same period of 2024.
The expansion was particularly evident in the second quarter (Q2) of 2025 when exports rose to N2.97 trillion, up from N1.97 trillion in the second quarter of 2024.
Imports also grew but at a slower pace, reaching N1.82 trillion in the first half of 2025 from N1.13 trillion a year earlier.
The figures showed that Nigeria remained a net exporter to Africa, recording a trade surplus of N2.99 trillion in H1 2025, only slightly lower than the N3.08 trillion surplus recorded in H1 2024.
The surplus narrowed in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025 when Nigeria’s import bill surged to N1.00 trillion, more than double the N401.8 billion recorded in Q1 2024, while exports dropped slightly to N1.85 trillion from N2.24 trillion in the same quarter of 2024.
This reduced the surplus to N852.8 billion compared with N1.83 trillion a year earlier.
In the second quarter of 2025, the trade balance widened again to N2.15 trillion as exports accelerated more strongly than imports.
Total exports in the first half of 2025 amounted to N4.82 trillion, up by N610 billion from N4.21 trillion in the first half of 2024, while imports increased to N1.82 trillion from N1.13 trillion within the same period, confirming the changing trade structure.
