Hauwa Ali
According to the Nigeria Export Promotion Council, in the first half of 2025, Nigeria’s non-oil exports leapt by 19.6%, reaching $3.225 billion. The momentum came from soaring global demand for cocoa, urea fertiliser, and cashew nuts, marking a bold pivot from oil dependence and symbolising a potential new dawn for an economy hungry for change.
Trace the cocoa journey back to Ondo State, where smallholder farmers, many in their fifties, harvest pods with weathered hands and careful precision. Despite being Nigeria’s principal non-oil earner, cocoa production remains stunted by aging trees, lax infrastructure, and insecurity. “Deteriorating roads make it dangerous to transport produce,” says one farmer facing criminal ambushes along potholed paths.
Yet, ambition runs deep. According to sources, Johnvents, a cocoa processor in Ondo, secured a $40.5 million investment from a UK development agency to scale its capacity from 12,000 to 30,000 metric tonnes annually and obtain Rainforest Alliance sustainability certification.
Beyond local strides, national efforts are afoot. The NEPC reports cocoa and its derivatives contributed approximately 35% of export value in H1 2025. The NEPC’s Ayeni highlights that cocoa beans alone comprised 34.88% of total non-oil export value, compared to 23.18% in H1 2024.
Still, raw beans dominate. Experts urge value addition from butter and powder to even chocolate to keep the economic benefits within Nigeria. As stakeholders gathered at the 2024 International Cocoa and Chocolate Forum, they lamented that only 30% of the 200,000 MT processing capacity is utilized. They called for a cocoa development fund, youth incentives, and stronger policy frameworks to shift the narrative. Dr. Jumoke Oduwole framed compliance with EU green rules as a “formidable challenge and a transformative opportunity,” especially with traceability now essential.
Parallel to cocoa’s rise is Nigeria’s emergence as a urea exporter. NEPC cited fertiliser mainly urea, as the second-largest non-oil export, accounting for around 17–19% of export value.
Behind these figures is Dangote’s fertiliser complex near Lagos, Africa’s largest with a current capacity of 3 million tonnes per year. Its owner, Aliko Dangote, announced plans to double this output and become the world’s top urea producer within 40 months, announcing his ambition to surpass Qatar. Analysts applaud the vision but warn that transport infrastructure and port capacity remain critical chokepoints.
Cashew nuts also surged as a key export driver. Often overshadowed by cocoa and fertiliser, the humble cashew made third place among non-oil exports, though at a modest 5–6% of the total export value.
Yet, cashew producers face threats—climate change, old tree stock, and poor research back-up. As Dr. Ojo Joseph Ajanaku of the Cashew Association noted, “climate change affected my own commodity… production dropped… research on cashew is very poor.”
Whether it’s cocoa farms or urea plants, exporters repeatedly hit the same wall: Nigeria’s logistics deficit.
Exporters spend up to $1,500 per container in shipping costs more than double Ghana’s $600 and face dwell times of 20–30 days at ports, compared to 4–7 days elsewhere. NEPC data also shows over 94% of exports move through seaports, with only 6% via airports and land borders—highlighting an overdependence on congested maritime channels.
Further, there are post-harvest losses exceeding 50%, costing Nigeria an estimated ₦3.5 trillion annually—far greater than the agricultural budget of recent years. SMEs, vital to non-oil export growth, struggle to access financing due to high interest rates and collateral demands. “Getting loans is almost impossible for small players like us,” said cocoa exporter Mary Olowu.
Exporters also battle volatility. Copan’s chairman, Otunba Felix Oladunjoye, pointed to exchange rate instability and high cost of borrowing as margin killers. “You need five times your working capital… cost of borrowing… about 35%.” Cashew producers lament limited access to proceeds: “we don’t have unfettered access to our proceeds… we cannot change it in the parallel market.”
On the plus side, NEPC reports 236 distinct products exported in H1 2025, up from 202 in 2024—reflecting growing value-addition.
NEPC also conducted 252 capacity-building programs, training over 27,352 participants nationwide in export documentation, Good Agricultural Practices, packaging, and labeling essential for meeting international standards.
At a cocoa cooperative in Ondo, Mr. Ade, a smallholder, admits: “The roads are terrible. Last season, we lost two trucks to breakdowns and bandits. Yet there’s demand in Europe if only we can reach the port safely.”
At Indorama Eleme Fertilizer, the activity is industrial and urgent. A manager shared: “Our urea plant runs 24/7. But on bad days, road gridlock at Apapa delays trucks, costing us thousands in demurrage.”
An NEPC trainer, Ms. Eze, recalled working with exporters last quarter: “Simple things like correct labeling and paperwork used to stop clients at customs. Now, once exporters know the rules, goods sail through saving time and money.”
For Nigeria’s non-oil export story to evolve into a sustainable success, several steps are urgent like, infrastructure investment which modernizes seaports, expand rail corridors, and improve rural access roads to ensure timely farm-to-port linkages. Also financing mechanisms like creating sector-specific funds with flexible terms; reform NEXIM and similar agencies to rival global peers.
Value addition and traceability to promote processing zones, deepen traceability systems for EUDR and green compliance, support smart-farming to revitalize cocoa. While exporter support to scale up capacity-building, streamline export documentation will offer tailored assistance to champions like Johnvents and Dangote.
Policy consistency will also reduce exchange rate volatility, ensure exporters access proceeds, and maintain tariff preferences under AfCFTA to broaden market reach.
The $3.225 billion mark is more than a number, it’s a statement: that Nigeria’s pivot away from oil is beginning to take tangible shape through cocoa, urea, and cashew. From village farms to fertilizer hubs, the value chain is powering stories of ambition and transformation.
But ambition must meet reality. The roads are rough, ports congested, and credit scarce. Yet, backing these exporters with infrastructure, finance, and policy clarity would amplify every cocoa bean, every fertiliser tonne, and every kilogram of cashew.
As one cocoa processor in Ondo told me while packing butter destined for Europe: “Every batch carries our hope.” That hope, if matched with investment and integrity, could redefine Nigeria’s economic trajectory.