Nigeria’s trade ties with the United States came under heavy strain in July 2025 as Washington slashed imports of Nigerian goods by 41%.
This sharp cut deepened tariff tensions and highlighted the fragility of one of Abuja’s key partnerships.
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, Nigerian exports to America fell from $639 million in June to $379 million in July.
At the same time, U.S. exports to Nigeria dropped from $919 million to $584 million.
As a result, Washington still booked a surplus of $206 million in July, although that figure fell from $280 million the month before.
Between January and July, America sold Nigeria $3.92 billion worth of goods while buying $3.14 billion in return.
Consequently, Washington built up a cumulative surplus of $781 million.
However, July’s plunge showed how quickly Nigeria’s access to the U.S. market can shrink.
Africa’s Mixed Trade Picture
By contrast, U.S. trade with Africa as a whole moved in the opposite direction.
Imports from the continent rose from $3.67 billion in June to $4.47 billion in July.
Although exports slipped slightly, Washington widened its deficit to $1.17 billion.
At the country level, the U.S. gained a $557 million surplus with Egypt but ran a $1.42 billion deficit with South Africa, fuelled by demand for minerals and cars.
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As a result, America’s shortfall with Pretoria expanded to $7.74 billion between January and July.
Tariffs Drive Tensions
Meanwhile, politics added new pressure.
In late July, President Donald Trump raised tariffs on Nigerian exports from 14% to 15% under his “reciprocal tariff” regime.
Because the policy targets countries with surpluses against the U.S., Nigeria fell into the crosshairs.
Although crude oil remained partly shielded, uncertainty discouraged buyers of agricultural produce, leather and manufactured goods.
Finally, America’s global deficit widened sharply.
It climbed from $59.1 billion in June to $78.3 billion in July as imports surged to $358.8 billion while exports rose modestly to $280.5 billion.
