Nigeria Exports: ₦10.72 Trillion to Africa

Total exports by Nigeria to other African countries grew to ₦10.72 trillion in the first six months of 2026, compared to ₦4.82 trillion in the same period of 2025, based on an analysis of trade data released by Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics.

While the increase has cemented Nigeria’s status as one of the biggest suppliers to African markets, it is clear that Nigeria heavily depends on crude oil and petroleum products in its exports to the rest of Africa. During Q2 2026 alone, Nigeria exported ₦6.65 trillion worth of goods to Africa, with Togo, South Africa, and Côte d’Ivoire being the largest destinations.

Which Are the Biggest Buyers of Goods from Nigeria in Africa?

According to NBS statistics for Q2 2026, Nigeria’s biggest buyers of goods from Nigeria in Africa are:

African country	Amount of Nigerian exports in Q2 2026
Togo	₦1.50 trillion
South Africa	₦1.34 trillion
Côte d’Ivoire	₦1.22 trillion
Ghana	₦461.36 billion
Egypt	₦455.81 billion

These five accounted for 74.75% of total Nigerian exports to Africa in the quarter. Nigeria exported goods worth the largest amount to Togo in Africa, South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire following.

This trend is not completely new. In Q1 2026, Togo also took the first place as the biggest buyer of goods from Nigeria in Africa, buying goods worth ₦1.08 trillion.

Nigerian Exports to the African Continent?

Oil is at the center of Nigeria’s exports to the continent.

In the second quarter, crude petroleum oils formed 48.58% of the total amount of exports to Africa, which was estimated to be about ₦3.23 trillion. Gas oil took ₦1.32 trillion, while kerosene-type jet fuel was ₦975.37 billion and ordinary motor spirit ₦416.78 billion. The top five products constituted 91.60% of Nigeria’s exports to Africa in that quarter.

Increasing exports of refined petroleum products show an increase in the production capacity of Nigerian refineries, especially the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

This can be seen in Nigeria-Togo relations. Nigeria exported ₦105.5 billion of petrol to Togo in the first quarter of 2026, while gas oil exported to the country was ₦278.36 billion and ₦273.18 billion of kerosene-type jet fuel.

Reasons Why Togo Is So Significant to Nigeria

The reasons behind Togo’s importance to Nigeria go beyond simple trade relations. Lomé has developed into an important port for transshipments of petroleum products in West Africa, where large oil tankers unload their cargo offshore before the cargo is unloaded in smaller ships.

It makes Togo a strategically significant country for Nigerian petroleum products exports.

Also, there was a noteworthy aggregate trade surplus with Africa. For Q2, exports to Africa amounted to ₦6.65 trillion while African imports to Nigeria stood at ₦1.10 trillion.

The Critical Question: Is the Growth in Nigerian Exports Diverse?

In spite of this growth, the nature of the exports is still very dependent on petroleum.

From the breakdown of Nigeria’s exports from NBS product data and the analysis carried out by The PUNCH, crude oil, refined fuels, gas products, electricity, and urea contributed to about 94.75% of Nigeria’s exports to Africa for H1 2026. However, non-oil exports, including cement, cigarettes, tyres, vessels and food preparations, saw a reduction in their value from H1 2025.

This presents a problem for Nigeria with respect to its policies within the AfCFTA agreement. The increased market access can help Nigerian industries grow, but currently, most of the country’s exports consist of energy commodities.

The Nigerian government has been implementing policies aimed at diversifying Nigeria’s exports and boosting non-oil exports. This includes the $1 billion AfCFTA Adjustment Fund Credit Facility launched in June.