Nigeria’s Intra-African Trade Surges 21% Under AfCFTA

Nigeria’s trade with other African countries reached US$9.02 billion in 2025, up 21 percent from US$7.47 billion in 2024, according to the African Trade Report 2026 from Afreximbank. The gain highlights the African Continental Free Trade Area’s (AfCFTA) role in opening new export markets and lowering trade costs.

Crude oil remained Nigeria’s top export to the continent, but non-oil goods—including chemicals, plastics, rubber, processed foods, urea, and cement—accounted for a growing share.

In April 2025, Nigeria gazetted its provisional tariff concessions, allowing its exports to qualify for preferential AfCFTA rates while granting reciprocal access to African imports. New logistics projects, such as an air-cargo corridor to East and Southern Africa, aim to further cut transport costs.

The uptick supports Nigeria’s push to diversify away from non-African markets and scale up regional manufacturing sales.