Nigeria's non-oil trade with Africa was close to balanced overall in the first half of 2026. Nigeria sold ₦1.03 trillion worth of non-oil products to the continent and bought ₦944 billion, leaving a surplus of just ₦88 billion on total trade of nearly ₦2 trillion.
But that overall balance varied sharply by product category. Energy trade excluding crude oil ran entirely in one direction, with Nigeria selling ₦156.5 billion to African countries and recording no purchases in the category.
Raw materials and manufactured goods were the closest to evenly balanced, with sales and purchases accounting for nearly equal shares of trade. Solid minerals leaned more towards sales, with Nigeria selling 66.1% of its trade in the category to Africa.
Agriculture moved in the opposite direction. Nigeria bought ₦217.7 billion worth of agricultural products from Africa while selling just ₦39.9 billion, meaning imports accounted for 84.5% of its agricultural trade with the continent. That left Nigeria with an agricultural trade deficit of about ₦178 billion in H1, with the gap widening from ₦59 billion in Q1 to ₦119 billion in Q2.
