Nigeria accounted for about 52 per cent of Africa’s crude oil exports to the United States in 2025, according to the latest data from the US Census Bureau.
Figures from the US International Trade in Goods and Services report indicate that total US crude imports from Africa stood at 89.371 million barrels in 2025, down from 103.631 million barrels in 2024, representing a decline of 14.26 million barrels or 13.8 per cent.
Out of the 89.371 million barrels imported from Africa in 2025, Nigeria supplied 46.618 million barrels, compared to 50.793 million barrels in 2024. This reflects a drop of 4.175 million barrels or 8.2 per cent year on year.
Despite the lower volume, Nigeria’s share of Africa’s crude exports to the US rose. In 2025, Nigeria’s 46.618 million barrels accounted for 52.2 per cent of Africa’s total shipments, up from 49.0 per cent in 2024, when it exported 50.793 million barrels out of the continent’s 103.631 million barrels.
In value terms, Africa’s crude exports to the US, measured using the C.I.F. value, declined sharply. The continent’s total C.I.F. value fell from $8.945bn in 2024 to $6.816bn in 2025, indicating a drop of $2.129bn or 23.8 per cent.
Nigeria’s C.I.F. value decreased from $4.458bn in 2024 to $3.545bn in 2025, translating to a reduction of $913m or 20.5 per cent.
Even so, Nigeria’s share of Africa’s total C.I.F. crude exports to the US edged up to 52.0 per cent in 2025 from 49.8 per cent in 2024.
The customs value, which excludes freight and insurance costs and reflects the price paid for the crude before shipment, also recorded a decline. Africa’s customs value fell from $8.767bn in 2024 to $6.653bn in 2025, a decrease of $2.114bn or 24.1 per cent.
Nigeria’s customs value dropped from $4.365bn in 2024 to $3.451bn in 2025, representing a fall of $914m or 20.9 per cent.
The difference between customs value and C.I.F. value lies in the inclusion of logistics costs. While customs value captures the transaction price at export, C.I.F. reflects the landed value at US ports, including freight and insurance. In both years, the gap between Nigeria’s customs and C.I.F. values remained relatively stable, suggesting that freight costs did not materially alter the overall trend.
A breakdown of other African suppliers shows that Angola’s crude exports to the US dropped from 18.497 million barrels in 2024 to 8.891 million barrels in 2025, while Ghana’s exports fell from 9.019 million barrels to 3.804 million barrels.
Libya was the only major African supplier to record a marginal increase in volume, rising from 16.993 million barrels in 2024 to 17.761 million barrels in 2025. The data show that Nigeria strengthened its dominance in the US market among African producers in 2025, not because volumes increased, but because other suppliers recorded steeper declines.
The trade outcomes come against the backdrop of renewed US protectionist rhetoric and tariff-focused trade policies associated with US President Donald Trump, which have influenced sourcing decisions, pricing structures, and trade flows globally.
Last year, Donald Trump signed an executive order raising Nigeria’s tariff rate from 14 per cent to 15 per cent, with Washington implementing its “reciprocal” tariff regime.
The order, issued in late July, took effect on August 7, 2025. Although crude oil has been exempted in several cases, the higher duty applies directly to a wide range of non-oil Nigerian exports, creating uncertainty for American importers and dampening demand ahead of and after the effective date.
With crude oil exports largely exempted from the new tariff regime, non-oil exports appear to have borne the brunt of the disruption.
A renowned economist and Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, Dr Muda Yusuf, downplayed the impact of the U.S. tariffs on Nigeria.
“Our trade with the US is not that strategic. When anything goes wrong, it is not as if it can have any fundamental effect on our economy. Our trade exposure to them is very limited,” Yusuf explained.
He noted that Nigerian exports to the US are dominated by crude oil and a handful of other commodities, such as fertilisers, making the country’s trade profile narrow and underdeveloped in non-oil areas. Yusuf added that Nigeria’s tariff exposure is relatively moderate compared with other countries.
However, he identified another challenge beyond tariffs: US visa policy. “The bigger challenge for Nigeria’s trade relationship with the US is Washington’s visa policy. Barriers to travel limit business interactions and investment inflows. That is more critical than tariffs in the long run,” he said.
Since its inception, the Trump administration has steadily rolled out a series of visa restrictions and travel bans targeting Nigeria and several other countries.
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