Nigeria’s exports to African countries rose by 37.02 per cent, or N2.63 trillion, to N9.72 trillion in the first nine months of this year compared with the N7.09 trillion recorded for the corresponding period of 2024, findings by New Telegraph show.
According to the Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics (Q3’25) report just released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria recorded a 65.07 per cent (N1.93 trillion) increase to N4.90 trillion in its exports to African countries between July and September this year compared with N2.97 trillion in the preceding quarter.
An analysis of the Bureau’s Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics reports for Q1-Q3’25 shows that while Nigeria’s total exports to African countries stood at N9.72 trillion, its imports from within the continent during the period amounted to N2.42 trillion.
Further analysis of the reports, however, indicates that the country’s exports to the rest of the continent are still significantly lower when compared with its exports to Europe and Asia. For instance, the Q3’2025 Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics report states that: “Total exports accounted for 58.59% of total trade in the third quarter of 2025.
Exports by section revealed that Nigeria exported mainly ‘mineral products’ valued at N20,008.76 billion, or 87.71 per cent of the total export value, this was followed by exports of producte of the chemical and allied industries’ with N845.00 billion or 3.70 per cent of total exports and ‘Prepared foodstuffs; beverages, spirits and vinegar; tobacco’ worth N692.32 billion or 3.03% of the value of total exports.
“Exports by region shows that Nigeria exported goods mainly to Europe with goods valued at N8,706.34 billion or 38.16 per cent of total exports, followed by exports to Asia valued at N6,403.49 billion or 28.07 per cent of total exports, while exports to America was valued at N2,580.41 billion representing 11.31 per cent of total exports.
While exports to Africa stood at N4,902.69 billion or 21.49 per cent of the total exports; out of which, goods exported to ECOWAS countries was valued at N3,135.57 billion or 63.96 per cent of the total exports to Africa.”
Specifically, according to the report: “Nigeria’s exports to Africa were mainly to Ivory Coast with N1,440.46 billion, Ghana with goods valued at N714.03 billion, South Africa with N710.33 billion Togo with N531.06 billion, and Senegal with N418.64billion altogether representing 77.80% of exports to Africa.
“On the other hand, Nigeria’s major import partners within Africa in Q3 2025 were South Africa with N163.44 billion, Ghana with goods valued at N110.42 billion, Egypt with N72.04 billion, Morocco with N59.99 billion and Ivory Coast with N41.87 billion.
