Nigeria’s Non-Oil exports rise to $1.79bn in Q1 2025 — NEPC targets boost in Sesame seed market

By Joy Baba-Yesufu

Nigeria’s non-oil export earnings rose to $1.791 billion in the first quarter of 2025, according to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC).
The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of NEPC, Nonye Ayeni, disclosed this at a sensitisation workshop for sesame seed farmers held in Dutse, Jigawa State.
The event, themed “A Tactical Involvement for Enhancing the Production Capacity of Sesame Seed in Jigawa State”, brought together key stakeholders to address challenges facing Nigeria’s sesame seed exports.
Represented by Okany Chika Sylvia, Chief Trade Promotion Officer at the council, Ayeni explained that the Q1 2025 non-oil export performance reflects a 24.75 per cent increase, compared to 19.59 per cent recorded in Q1 2024.
She noted that in 2024, sesame seed ranked third among Nigeria’s top 20 export products, with 337,825 metric tonnes, accounting for 4.63 per cent of total exports.
“Nigeria can secure a significant share of foreign exchange from sesame seed exports if production and quality standards are improved along the value chain,” Ayeni said.
Sylvia highlighted past challenges, including Japan’s temporary rejection of Nigerian sesame seed exports between 2019 and 2021 over excess pesticide residue and salmonella contamination. She explained that Japan’s Oil and Fat Importers and Exporters Association (JOFIEA) raised the issue in August 2022, noting pesticide residue levels were almost twice the acceptable Maximum Residue Limit (MRL).
The NEPC’s Jigawa State Coordinator, Abdulkadir Aliyu, said the forum was aimed at boosting sesame seed output and strengthening Nigeria’s presence in the global export market.
Farmers at the event also called for aggregation centres in Jigawa to reduce exploitation, improve processing capacity, and enable better prices for their produce.