_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Corresponding author: E-mail: iud3x@yahoo.com; Journal of Economics, Management and Trade 21(7): 1-24, 2018; Article no.JEMT.42806 ISSN: 2456-9216 (Past name: British Journal of Economics, Management & Trade, Past ISSN: 2278-098X) Empirical Investigation of the Impact of Export Diversification on Economic Growth: Evidence from Nigeria, 1980-2016 Innocent U. Duru 1* and Paul O. Ehidiamhen 2 1 Department of Economics, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria. 2 Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Area 1, Garki, Abuja, Nigeria. Authors’ contributions This work was carried out in collaboration between the two authors. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript. Article Information DOI: 10.9734/JEMT/2018/42806 Editor(s): (1) Polona Tominc, Professor, Department of Quantitative Economic Analysis, University of Maribor, Slovenia. Reviewers: (1) Oscar Chiwira, BA ISAGO University, Botswana. (2) M. C. Minimol, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences (Autonomous), Rajagiri Valley, Kakkanad, Kochi, Kerala, India. Complete Peer review History: http://www.sciencedomain.org/review-history/25657 Received 19 th June 2018 Accepted 6 th July 2018 Published 24 th July 2018 ABSTRACT This study examined the impact of export diversification on economic growth in Nigeria from 1980 to 2016. The ARDL bound testing approach to cointegration was employed as a methodology for the study. The results showed that export diversification had a positive and insignificant relationship with economic growth in Nigeria. However, exports of goods and services and the growth rate of exports had a positive and statistically significant effect on the country’s economic growth, whereas openness to trade had a negative and insignificant influence. Furthermore, investment proxied by gross fixed capital formation exerted a positive and statistically significant relationship with economic growth. Nevertheless, the study concluded that trade openness was not a determinant of economic growth in Nigeria. The findings had important policy implications for economic policy and recommended that constructive attention should be given to exports of primary products which have persistently suffered from declining terms of trade in order to enhance economic growth. In addition, the current government should sustain the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), an export-led economic growth and development strategy. However, the country is encouraged to create the institutional capacity to ensure adherence to International Export Quality Assurance Original Research Article