Nigerian exports to the US drop by 20% as Trump's import restrictions start to bite

NIGERIAN exports to the US fell by 20% or $527m during the first five months of 2025 as a result of President Donald Trump's clampdown on imports according to figures just released by the US Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Since the start of the year, President Trump has been aggressively seeking to reduce US imports and has introduced numerous new tariffs and taxes to cut overseas purchases. Nigeria appears to have suffered significantly from the effects of this new policy as the value of goods exported to the US fell from $2.65 during the same period in 2024 to $2.12bn this year.

Among a wave of renewed protectionist measures, President Trump signed an executive order on April 2, introducing a general 10% import tariff on most countries. Under this policy, known as the Liberation Day tariff framework, Nigeria was targeted with a higher tariff rate of 14% due to her previous trade surplus with the US.

Although Nigeria remains one of the US’s largest African trade partners, the impact of President Trump’s renewed trade policy agenda is being felt. Further pressure mounted when President Trump threatened an additional 10% tariff on countries seen to be aligning with the Brics economic bloc, which includes Nigeria as a potential new member.

Energy-related products, including crude oil were explicitly exempted from these tariffs but despite this exemption, the overall decline in Nigerian exports to the US indicates a broader slowdown, not limited to oil. Other Nigerian exports, including agricultural and manufactured goods, have been affected by the uncertainty generated by the new trade policy.

Even oil shipments have shown signs of weakening, possibly due to market dynamics and shifting US sourcing strategies. Data from the first five months of 2025 show that the US imported 17.39m barrels of Nigerian crude oil, valued at $1.34bn based on customs value, showing a drop from the 20.4m barrels worth about $1.52bn imported during the same period in 2024.             

Despite the drop, Nigeria remained the largest supplier of crude oil to the US from Africa, ahead of Libya, Angola, and Ghana. In May 2025 alone, the US imported over 4.2m barrels of Nigerian crude, valued at $311m, down from $368m in April.

However, crude oil imports from Nigeria alone accounted for over 62% of total US crude purchases from Africa in the first five months of 2025. By value, Nigeria’s oil exports to the US stood at $1.34bn (customs value) and $1.38bn (cif value), reflecting its central role in energy trade, even if overall exports have declined.

Meanwhile, US exports to Nigeria increased significantly to $2.42bn from $2.05bn in the first five months of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024. This 17.8% growth in US exports, combined with the fall in imports, led to a complete reversal in the trade balance between both countries.

Among other things, the US also maintains a strong export relationship with Nigeria in the automobile sector, as in the first five months of 2025, the US exported $426m worth of motor vehicles and parts to Nigeria. This included $312m worth of passenger cars, $29m worth of trucks and buses and $86m in parts, accounting for nearly 18%  of total US exports to Nigeria.