Nigeria imports $7.8m of U.S wines in 2024

Nigeria is the largest market in Africa for U.S. wines with exports valued at $7.8 million in 2024, a 65 percent increase from 2023.

This was disclosed in Lagos by JoEllen Gorg, acting U.S. Consul General who also underscored the pivotal role of the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Mission in expanding U.S.-Nigeria agricultural trade.

The Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S.

Mission in collaboration with the California Wine Institute organised a trade promotion event in Lagos that connected 18 California wineries with the Nigerian business community and strengthened agricultural trade ties between the two countries.

“The United States is proud to offer the highest quality products to consumers around the world. California wines represent some of the best in the world,” Acting Consul General Gorg said. “Home to over 5,000 wineries, most of them family-owned, multi-generational businesses, California makes over 80 per cent of U.S. wine and ranks the 4th among world’s wine producers.”

More than 160 award-winning California wines, from crisp whites to bold reds, were showcased during a wine tasting event attended by over 120 Nigerian wine importers, distributors, retailers, hospitality industry stakeholders, and wine lovers who discussed the growing market potential for U.S. wines in Nigeria.

In addition to the wine tasting experience, the California Wine Institute organised a specialised seminar for local wine importers and leading Nigeria restaurateurs, highlighting opportunities for mutually beneficial trade.

Honore Comfort, Vice President for International Marketing at the California Wine Institute, explained that the trade promotion event was an opportunity to showcase the diversity and quality of California wines that have earned an excellent reputation globally. “We are excited to kick off our 2025 Africa Tasting Tour in Lagos to increase knowledge of and interest in California wines across the continent,” Comfort added.

The California Wine Institute is the trade organisation of California wineries. The 2025 Africa Tasting Tour is a trade mission organized with support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. In addition to Lagos, the Africa tour includes stops in Nairobi, Kenya, and Cape Town, South Africa.

The Foreign Agricultural Service is the overseas arm of the United States Department of Agriculture offering a variety of services to American and Nigerian agribusiness companies and government and non-government entities involved in agricultural trade and development.

Staffed with dedicated agri-business specialists, the Foreign Agricultural Service helps Nigerian agri-businesses to scale their business profitability by connecting them to U.S. exporters of new and competitive agricultural and food solutions that can help them evolve in a rapidly changing business environment.

Iheanyi Nwachukwu

Iheanyi Nwachukwu, is a creative content writer with almost two decades journalism experience writing on banking, finance, capital markets, and tax. The multiple awards winning journalist is Assistant Editor, BusinessDay. Iheanyi holds BSc Degree in Economics from Imo State University; Master of Science (MSc) Degree in Management from University of Lagos. Iheanyi has attended several work-related trainings including (i) Advanced Writing and Reporting Skills (Pan African University, Lagos); (ii) News Agency Journalism (Indian Institute of Mass Communication {IIMC}, New Delhi, India); and (iii) Capital Markets Development and Regulations (International Law Institute {ILI} of Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA). Other trainings Iheanyi attended include: Economic/Political Risk Analysis (By Thomson Reuters Foundation); International Financial Journalism (IFJ) (By PMA Media Training, UK); Effective Business Writing Skills (By Phillips Consulting); Reporting on Corporate Governance (By International Finance Corporation (IFC) & Thomson Reuters Foundation UK); etc. In addition, he has participated in high-level economy & markets events in Dubai, South Africa, Morocco, and other African countries like Zambia, Ghana and Gambia.