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Nigeria's firewood exports jumps to N65.85bn in Q1
[Jun 17, 2025]



 

In the thick of rising demand for biomass energy sources across West Africa, Nigeria exported energy goods valued at N65.85bn in the first quarter of 2025, the National Bureau of Statistics reveals in its latest report.

The report, titled ‘Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics,’ and obtained by Business Hallmark, revealed that the vast majority of the exports N65.65bn were sent to other African countries.

In the report, the Economic Community of West African States nations account for N49.15bn, or over 74 per cent of the amount.

The energy goods, segmented by the NBS as “fuel woods in logs (e.g., hardwood), charcoal, and coniferous wood in chips or particles”, are increasingly becoming sought-after commodities, particularly in Nigeria’s neighbouring countries, where alternative energy sources remain scarce or expensive.

The NBS report looks at the unsettling rise in tree felling and deforestation, with Nigeria increasingly exporting the results of environmental degradation through surging shipments of firewood, charcoal, and other wood-derived energy products.

According to the report, Benin Republic is the top destination for Nigeria’s wood energy exports, receiving N29.83bn worth of products in the first three months of 2025.

It was closely followed by Togo, which imported goods valued at N19.32bn within the same period.

Beyond Africa, Asian countries imported N94.80m worth of firewood, charcoal and other derivates goods from Nigeria, while European nations took in about N102.21m.

In total, Nigeria’s energy wood exports reached four continents, underlining the growing international appetite for biomass as an alternative energy source.

In contrast, Nigeria imported only N45.77m worth of energy wood products during the same period, with N1.03m coming from African countries, N930,000bfrom the Americas, and N43.81 million from Asia.

The export boom comes at a time when the domestic use of charcoal and firewood is also surging, driven by rising cooking gas prices and unreliable electricity supply.

Across major markets in states like Niger, Ogun, Lagos and Kaduna, charcoal vendors have reported record sales as more Nigerians turn to traditional fuels for cooking and heating.

While biomass energy remains controversial due to its environmental implications, especially deforestation and carbon emissions, it continues to play a crucial role in meeting the energy needs of millions of households and small businesses across West Africa.

Meanwhile, a broader analysis of Nigeria’s trade data in Q1 2025 showed that petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals remained the top export commodity to African and ECOWAS nations, valued at over N1.48 trillion, or 80.25 per cent of total exports to the continent.
  
Source: hallmarknews.com



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