NEPC: Nigeria exports 663m metric tonnes to ECOWAS in H1 2025

Nigeria exported 663 million metric tonnes of products to 11 ECOWAS member states in the first half of 2025, according to the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC).

The figure represents a significant increase from the same period in 2024, highlighting the country’s growing role in regional trade.

Speaking on Sunday in Abuja while presenting the council’s 2025 half-year non-oil export performance report, Nonye Ayeni, NEPC director-general, said Nigeria also exported 488 million metric tonnes of products valued at $83.54 million to 21 African countries outside the ECOWAS bloc.

This, she noted, was a 2.59 percent increase in total export value compared to 1.96 percent recorded in the first half of 2024.

“It also lends credence to the fact that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) holds the key to intra-African trade. Indeed, Nigeria’s active participation in the AfCFTA is a testament to the significant opportunity it offers to exporting companies, as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs),” Ayeni said.

Indorama Eleme Fertiliser and Chemical Ltd and Starlink Global and Ideal Ltd led the list of export companies, contributing 11.92 percent and 8.82 percent respectively to the total non-oil export volume.

During the review period, 29 banks processed 10,214 Nigeria Export Proceed Forms (NXPs). Zenith Bank handled 31.98 percent of these transactions, followed by First Bank with 12.44 percent and Guaranty Trust Bank with 11.47 percent.

The NEPC said 18 exit points — eight seaports, three international airports and seven land borders — were used for non-oil exports, with seaports accounting for 94.15 percent of total traffic.

To improve export readiness and compliance, the council organised more than 252 capacity-building programmes nationwide, reaching 27,352 participants.

“We also carried out training in the area of good agricultural practices (GAP), good warehousing practice (GWP), good manufacturing practice (GMP), packaging and labelling, among others,” Ayeni added.

According to the NEPC, the report reflects steady progress in diversifying Nigeria’s economy through non-oil exports and leveraging trade agreements to expand market access.