Fresh data emerging has revealed that Nigeria emerged as the second-largest trading partner of the U.S in sub-Saharan Africa in 2025.
This comes as bilateral trade between Nigeria and the United States experienced a major surge, reaching nearly $15 billion.
The bilateral trade in 2025 represented a 14% year-on-year increase from 2024, establishing Nigeria as the second-largest trading partner of the U.S in Sub-Saharan Africa, trailing only South Africa.
The economic milestone was spotlighted by Keith Heffern, the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Mission in Nigeria, during a diplomatic engagement in Lagos.
He emphasized that the rising trade volumes reflect deep structural alignments and expanding private-sector partnerships rather than just a temporary spike in commodity prices.
According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the total exchange of goods and services settled at approximately $14.9 billion.
Industrial supplies and materials remained the primary driver of bilateral trade. For U.S. imports from Nigeria, this category made up 82.5% of the total volume (valued at $4.72 billion), heavily anchored by crude petroleum and petroleum gases.
Interestingly, cross-border energy trade went both ways, with industrial supplies also constituting 42.1% ($3.87 billion) of U.S. exports to Nigeria.
A major catalyst for this milestone is the U.S.-Nigeria Commercial and Investment Partnership (CIP). Now in its second year, this five-year ministerial-level framework unites nearly 50 major Nigerian and American corporate leaders to actively dismantle regulatory and logistical bottlenecks.
Speaking on diplomatic relations between both countries, Heffern said the U.S government places trade and investment at the heart of its engagement across Africa.
“Nigeria is now the United States’ second-largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa,” he said.
“In 2025, two-way trade between our countries reached nearly $15 billion, a 14 percent increase over 2024. These aren’t just numbers.
“With more than 100 US companies operating in Nigeria, they represent jobs, opportunities, and economic transformation for Americans and Nigerians.
“One of our key priorities at the US mission in Nigeria is helping US companies succeed in this market.”
Heffern said the US has partnered with Nigeria’s Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment to deliver and execute a five-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) called the US-Nigerian commercial and investment partnership.
“Now in year two, this partnership is a leading example of our bilateral commercial relationship in action,” he said.
“As a private sector-led initiative, we have nearly 50 US and Nigerian companies uniting business leaders and policymakers to remove barriers to trade and investment.
“In January, Lagos hosted the first ministerial-level meeting under the partnership.
“Through this partnership, we have advanced cooperation in three strategic sectors: agriculture, the digital economy, and infrastructure, to drive long-term growth and shared prosperity.”
Heffern said security cooperation between both countries complements the commercial relations and plays an equally vital role in advancing stability, protecting shared interests, and creating the conditions for sustained prosperity.
He noted that earlier this year, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) working alongside the US Drug Enforcement Administration, helped dismantle a major transnational criminal organisation involved in drug trafficking and money laundering.
The envoy lauded the progress of the partnership between the US and Nigeria, adding that Washington is making one of its most significant investments anywhere in the world in Lagos.
In April, the U.S government announced expanded support for agricultural trade with Nigeria through the export credit guarantee programme (GSM-102) of the U.S Department of Agriculture.
