Nigeria spends $2.34bn on food imports in 2025, down 7.4%

June 2, 2026

•Food import share shrinks as total imports jump 28%

By Babajide Komolafe

Nigeria’s spending on food imports declined by 7.4 per cent, year-on-year to $2.34 billion in 2025, signaling a moderation in the country’s dependence on imported food products despite a sharp increase in overall import expenditure. Data on food imports obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, quarterly statistical bulletin, fourth quarter 2025. Q4’25 showed that food imports fell to $2.343 billion in 2025 from $2.530 billion recorded in 2024, representing a decline of $186.42 million of 7.4 per cent year-on-year.

The decline comes after food import spending had risen by 18.8 per cent, YoY to $2.53 billion in 2024 from $2.129 billion in 2023, indicating a reversal of the upward trend witnessed in the previous year.