The United States has reduced its purchases of Nigerian goods by about $615m in the first eight months of this year following the introduction of new tariffs by President Donald Trump, fresh trade data from the US Census Bureau has shown. The figures indicate that American imports of Nigeria-sourced goods fell from $4.197bn between January and August 2024 to $3.582bn in the corresponding period of 2025, representing a year-on-year decline of 14.7 per cent. The drop coincides with Washington’s implementation of its “reciprocal” tariff regime, under which Trump signed an executive order raising Nigeria’s tariff rate from 14 per cent to 15 per cent. The order, issued late July, took effect on August 7, 2025. Although crude oil has been exempted in several cases, the higher duty applies directly to a wide range of non-oil Nigerian exports, creating uncertainty for American importers and dampening demand ahead of and after the effective date. The monthly figures show that US importers significantly cut back before the tariff rate was applied. In July 2025, American purchases of Nigerian goods fell to $379m from $673m in July 2024, a 43.7 per

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