20,000 direct jobs have been created under Nigeria’s expanding non-oil export drive, as Special Economic Zones generated employment alongside $500 million in export revenue, according to the latest figures released in February 2026.
The data, compiled from FMITI and NEPC reports and published by statehouse digital, forms part of a broader fact-check titled “Nigeria’s Non-Oil Export Revolution: Fact-Checking the Numbers.”
Addressing what it described as misleading claims online, the report clarified that some posts “conflate $500M (Special Economic Zone revenue) with $6.1B (Total National Non-Oil Exports).” It stressed that the $6.1 billion represents Nigeria’s total non-oil export value for 2025, the highest since the NEPC’s inception.
According to the figures, 2025 recorded $6.1 billion in non-oil exports, more than double the $2.97 billion achieved in 2013, marking a 100 percent increase over 2013 benchmarks. Export volume also rose to 8.02 million metric tonnes, up from 7.29 million metric tonnes in 2024.
Product diversification expanded to 281 distinct products in 2025, compared to 248 in 2024. The report highlighted a 500 percent expansion in NCX traded volumes, noting that refocusing the Nigeria Commodity Exchange significantly increased structured commodity trade activity.
In addition, 300 MSME exporters received fully sponsored FDA and HACCP certifications to boost global market access, while 96,221 participants benefited from 728 NEPC capacity-building programmes covering export procedures, documentation, and product development. A total of 4,633 hybrid seedlings were distributed to support cocos, coffee, and oil palm exports.
Cocoa beans led exports at $1.99 billion, representing 32.76 percent, followed by urea at $1.29 billion or 21.19 percent. Cashew nuts accounted for $0.46 billion, while other products contributed $2.35 billion. Nigeria exported to 120 countries, with the Netherlands, Brazil, and India as top partners, under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
