Nigeria’s non-oil exports to ECOWAS fell sharply in 2025, dropping by 13.08 per cent as the exit of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger disrupted long-standing trade routes within the region, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has said.
The decline was disclosed in Abuja by the NEPC’s Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Nonye Ayeni, during the council’s annual progress report and 2026 non-oil export outlook briefing.
According to the NEPC, Nigeria exported $271.26 million worth of non-oil goods to 11 ECOWAS member states in 2025, down from $312.08 million in 2024. The exports, with a combined volume of 1.23 million metric tonnes, accounted for 4.46 per cent of Nigeria’s total non-oil export value for the year.
Ayeni attributed the decline largely to the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the ECOWAS bloc, saying the move disrupted established trade and transit arrangements that had supported Nigerian export flows for years.
“This represents a decrease of 13.08 per cent compared to the sum of $312.08 million in 2024,” Ayeni said. “The difference is largely due to the exit of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the ECOWAS community, which affected Nigeria’s trade flows within the sub-region.”
Sahel exit disrupts regional trade routes
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formally announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS in January 2024, accusing the bloc of excessive sanctions, political interference and failing to support them in addressing security challenges. The three countries, now under military-led administrations following coups between 2020 and 2023, had been suspended and sanctioned for delaying a return to civilian rule.
Their exit has disrupted key overland corridors and markets for Nigerian goods, particularly agricultural produce, manufactured items and re-exported commodities, contributing to the decline in exports.
Nigeria still expanding across Africa
Despite the slump in ECOWAS exports, Nigeria continued to broaden its non-oil export reach across the continent. In 2025, Nigeria shipped non-oil products to 25 African countries outside ECOWAS, totaling 967,397.94 metric tonnes and valued at $206.94 million. These exports represented 3.40 per cent of Nigeria’s total non-oil export earnings.
In total, Nigeria’s non-oil exports reached 36 African countries in 2025, underlining the growing importance of the continent as a destination for Nigerian products such as agricultural commodities, processed goods and solid minerals.
Ayeni highlighted that Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire emerged among Nigeria’s top global markets for non-oil products, ranking 13th and 20th, respectively, among the top 20 importing countries in 2025.
AfCFTA seen as key growth driver
The NEPC boss said the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) offers a significant opportunity to deepen intra-African trade, describing the agreement as the world’s largest free trade area by the number of participating countries.
She said the NEPC, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and other stakeholders, is working to position Nigeria as a major export hub under the AfCFTA framework, reinforcing its status as Africa’s largest economy.
“These figures show that non-oil exports are increasing and stakeholders are taking advantage of the opportunities in the sector,” Ayeni said. “They also confirm that AfCFTA holds the key to intra-African trade.”
Non-oil exports hit record high
The ECOWAS performance was part of a wider non-oil export surge in 2025, as Nigeria’s non-oil exports rose to an all-time high of $6.1 billion – the strongest performance since the NEPC’s establishment nearly 50 years ago.
Ayeni said the figure represents an 11.5 per cent year-on-year increase from the $5.4 billion recorded in 2024, signalling growing momentum in Nigeria’s drive to diversify away from crude oil dependence.