Victor EzejaExports of Nigerian goods to the United States dropped by $527 million year-on-year to $2.12 billion between January and May 2025 from $2.65 billion in the corresponding period of 2024.
This reflects a 20 per cent drop, according to official data from the US Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThis comes amid ongoing trade tensions in which Nigeria is also affected.
The United States President, Donald Trump, had in April 2025, announced a sweeping “reciprocal tariff”, imposing a general 10 per cent import tariff on many countries.
Nigeria was slammed with a 14 per cent tariff due to its previous trade surplus with the US.
Trump recently made further threats of introducing an additional 10 per cent tariff on countries seen to be aligning with the BRICS economic bloc, which includes Nigeria as one of them.
READ ALSO: Nigeria, Other BRICS-aligned Countries At Risk As Trump Threatens Additional 10% Tariff
The implication of the additional tariff on goods imported from foreign countries into the United States is that it increases the cost for domestic consumers.
The drop in U.S. imports from Nigeria in the first five months of 2025 indicates that the trade relationship between the countries has taken a serious hit.
Although Nigeria’s primary export, crude oil, was exempted from these tariffs, the overall drop in Nigerian exports to the U.S. suggests a slower pace that extends beyond oil.
The uncertainty created by the new trade policy has had an impact on other Nigerian exports, such as manufactured and agricultural goods. The trade data reflects this change, with US imports from Nigeria in May 2025 totaling $400 million, a significant decrease from $517 million in May 2024.
READ ALSO: Expert Highlights Impact Of U.S. Trade Tariff On Nigeria
Even though oil exports into the U.S. are not part of the trade tariff, data indicate that it dropped by 3.01 million barrels to 17.39 million barrels in the first five months of 2025 from 20.4 million barrels in the same period in 2024.
On the other hand, Prime Business Africa observed that U.S. exports to Nigeria rose by 17.8 per cent from $2.05 billion in the first five months of 2024 to $2.42 billion in the same period of 2025.
The data revealed that Nigeria exported more goods to the US than it imported in the first five months of 2024, resulting in a $596 million trade deficit between the U.S. and Nigeria. However, in 2025, the situation reversed. The U.S. recorded a $295 million surplus over Nigeria by the end of May 2025. This outcome means that Nigeria consequently turned from a net exporter to a net importer in the bilateral context, marking a significant shift in the trade balance between US and Nigeria.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
