Nigeria Records Stronger ECOWAS and AfCFTA Trade in H1 2025 With 663MMT of Goods Shipped

According to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Nigeria exported 663 million metric tonnes of goods to 11 ECOWAS nations in the first half of 2025, marking a sharp year-on-year increase.

The NEPC Director-General, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, disclosed the figures in Abuja on Sunday while presenting the council’s 2025 Half-Year Non-Oil Export Performance Report.

Beyond the ECOWAS region, Nigeria shipped 488 million metric tonnes worth $83.54 million to 21 other African countries, representing a 2.59% rise in export value compared to the 1.96% recorded in H1 2024.

“It also lends credence to the fact that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) holds the key to intra-African trade,” Ayeni stated.

She emphasised the role of AfCFTA in unlocking opportunities for both large corporations and SMEs, praising the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment for positioning Nigeria as a regional trade hub.

Leading exporters included Indorama Eleme Fertiliser and Chemicals Ltd. (11.92% of total exports) and Starlink Global and Ideal Ltd. (8.82%). In total, 29 banks facilitated export transactions, with Zenith Bank Plc processing 31.98% of Nigeria Export Proceed Forms (NXPs), followed by First Bank (12.44%) and GTBank (11.47%).

The NEPC reported that 94.15% of exports went through seaports, with the rest via airports and land borders. The council also ran 252 nationwide training programmes for 27,352 participants on export documentation, compliance, and global best practices.

“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.

The report reflects Nigeria’s continued efforts to diversify its economy and strengthen regional trade under AfCFTA.