Executive Director/Chief Executive, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Nonye Ayeni, Monday, said the country’s non-oil exports increased to $5.46 billion in the first quarter of the year (Q1 2025), compared to $4.52 billion in the corresponding quarter of 2024.
Speaking at the presentation of Q1 2025 progress report on the non-oil export performance for the period under review, Ayeni said the 20.77 per cent year-on-year increase represented the highest value of export since the council was established 49 years ago.
She said non-oil products exported in Q1 were valued at $1.79 billion, an increase of 24.75 per cent from $ 1.44 billion reported in 2024.
The volume also increased by 243.44 per cent, to 2.416 million metric tonnes (MMT), from 1.937 MMT recorded in the corresponding quarter of last year.
Ayeni said the council, alongside its supervising ministry, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and other stakeholders remained committed to continuing the trajectory of increasing volume and value of non-oil exports from the country by providing support to the exporting community in the areas of capacity building, standardisation, and enhancing market access.
The NEPC boss said the efforts aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the policy drive of Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. JumokeOduwole, which were impacting non-oil export volumes and proceeds.
Ayeni stated, “The year 2024 result lends credence to the fact that several export intervention programmes/projects initiated and executed by the council, especially the ‘Double Your Exports’ campaign, are now yielding results.”
She said NEPC will remain resolute and committed to driving up the volume and value of non-oil exports for sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
Giving further breakdown of non-oil export performance in the review period, Ayenirevealed that 197 distinct products were exported, compared to 162 products recorded in Q1 2024.
She said the products ranged from manufactured and semi-processed goods to industrial extracts, and agricultural commodities.
She said based on information received from Pre-shipment Inspection Agents (PIAs) of the top-20 products exported in Q1, cocoa and its derivatives, including cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, cocoa cake, came top, followed by urea, cashew nut, sesame seed, gold dore, aluminium ingots, copper ingot, soya beans/meal, and rubber.
Ayeni said cocoa beans accounted for 45.02 per cent of the top non-oil commodity export, while urea/fertiliser accounted for 19.32 per cent, and cashew nuts 5.81 per cent.
Furthermore, 16 exit points were used in the period under review to export non-oil products from the country while 95 per cent of non-oil exports were routed through seaports, the NEPC boss added.
In total, six seaports, three international airports and seven land borders served as exit points for Nigeria’s non-oil exports.
The exports traversed diverse regions, including Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.
Notably, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Brazil emerged as the top three countries in terms of the export values of non-oil products from Nigeria.
Ayeni said the council had continued the drive towards building the capacity of value chain players from farm gate to market.
She said, “In the first quarter, we ran various trainings in the areas of good agricultural, good storage practice, good warehousing practice, packaging and labelling, cluster formation, ecommerce, logistics, among others.
“In these areas, we had hands-on training, coaching, and mentoring of MSMEs in the nooks and crannies of Nigeria in the six geo zones leveraging our regional and state offices in the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.”
