The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has disclosed that Nigeria’s non-oil export sector recorded significant growth in the first quarter of 2025, with the total value hitting $1.791 billion.
This marks a 24.7 per cent increase compared to the $1.436 billion recorded in the same period of 2024.
Executive Director of the council, Nonye Ayeni made this known while speaking at a briefing on the council’s latest performance report.
According to Ayeni, the volume of non-oil exports also rose to 2.416 million metric tonnes, an increase of 243.44 per cent from 1.937 million metric tonnes recorded in the corresponding period of 2024.
She noted that the products exported ranged from manufactured and semi-processed goods to industrial extracts and agricultural commodities.
The executive director pointed out that cocoa and its derivatives, including cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, and cocoa cake, emerged as the leading non-oil exports, accounting for over 45 per cent of the total. Urea and fertilizer followed closely, contributing 19.32 per cent, while cashew nuts made up 5.81 per cent.
According to her, Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals, Fertilizer Chemical Limited, Starlink Global, and Ideal Limited topped the list of exporting companies, accounting for 12.07 per cent and 10 per cent respectively, largely due to their substantial export of fertilizer and cocoa products.
The NEPC boss also revealed that the cumulative value of Nigeria’s non-oil exports in 2024 stood at $5.456 billion, representing a 20.79 per cent increase year-on-year.
She said the impressive performance highlights the effectiveness of ongoing efforts to diversify the country’s economy away from crude oil dependency.
