The United States has slashed its imports of Nigerian goods by 41 per cent in just one month, raising alarm over the fragile state of Nigeria’s trade relations with one of its most strategic global partners.
New figures from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis indicate that U.S. imports of Nigerian products declined from $639 million in June 2025 to $379 million in July, a significant drop that highlights Nigeria’s reduced access to the American market.
The drop coincided with a contraction in U.S. exports to Nigeria, which fell from $919 million in June to $584 million in July.
Despite this decline, Washington maintained a trade surplus of $206 million with Nigeria in July, down from $280 million the previous month.
Between January and July 2025, the U.S. exported goods worth $3.92 billion to Nigeria while importing $3.14 billion, leaving it with a cumulative surplus of $781 million. But July’s sharp reversal underscores how quickly Nigeria’s trade position with the U.S. can unravel.
While Nigeria’s trade contracted, America’s imports from Africa as a whole actually rose, from $3.67 billion in June to $4.47 billion in July. U.S. exports to the continent slipped slightly, leaving Washington with a wider trade deficit of $1.17 billion, up from $302 million in June.
Country-level data showed contrasting trends as the U.S. enjoyed a surplus of $557 million with Egypt, but ran a $1.42 billion deficit with South Africa in July alone, driven largely by imports of South African minerals and automobiles.
According to the report, so far in 2025, America’s deficit with South Africa has ballooned to $7.74 billion.
Nigeria’s troubles are linked in part to renewed U.S. trade measures under President Donald Trump, who in late July signed an executive order raising tariffs on Nigerian exports from 14 per cent in April to 15 per cent under his “reciprocal tariff” regime.
The policy targets countries that run trade surpluses with the U.S., with Nigeria now caught in the crossfire.
Although crude oil, Nigeria’s main export, rt remains partly exempt, uncertainty over tariff enforcement has discouraged import demand, particularly for non-oil goods like agricultural produce, leather, and manufactured items.
According to observers, for Washington, the move is part of a push to protect domestic industries and reduce trade imbalances. For Nigeria, it signals shrinking access to a critical market.
The report also revealed that the U.S. trade deficit globally widened to $78.3 billion in July, up from $59.1 billion in June, driven by surging imports from Asia and Europe.
It noted that imports reached $358.8 billion, while exports rose only slightly to $280.5 billion.
(Businessday)
