Nigeria’s foreign capital inflows reached a significant milestone as total capital importation hit 21 billion dollars within the first ten months of 2025. During a 2026 budget defense session before the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Commerce on February 11, 2026, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, reported that this figure represents a 75 percent increase from the 12 billion dollars recorded in 2024.
This recovery is particularly notable given that inflows had dropped below 4 billion dollars in 2023, suggesting a strong return of international investor interest in the Nigerian economy.
A major portion of this performance was driven by the United Kingdom, which accounted for approximately 65 percent of all foreign capital inflows. This trend was largely supported by the Nigeria-UK Economic and Trade Partnership established in early 2024. While the total volume is high, financial analysts observed that a large percentage remains tied to foreign portfolio investment, which focuses on short term money market instruments.
However, foreign direct investment also saw a substantial quarter on quarter jump in late 2025, reaching nearly 1 billion dollars as more investors began looking toward long term projects.
The rise in capital coincides with a record trade performance where Nigeria posted a 113 trillion naira trade surplus in the first three quarters of 2025. The Minister informed lawmakers that exports grew to 6.1 billion dollars, the highest volume ever recorded for the nation. To maintain this growth, the Ministry has developed a pipeline of 5 billion dollars in bankable projects and created specialized deal rooms to help resolve investor challenges.
Dr. Oduwole noted that sustaining these industrial reforms will require adequate funding in the 2026 fiscal year to ensure that foreign interest translates into permanent industrial assets and jobs.
The 2026 budget is expected to rely on these consistent inflows to fund infrastructure development and stabilize the national currency. As the country moves from a phase of economic stabilization toward active growth, the government remains focused on a policy that prioritizes local production.
By deepening the engagement with global trading partners and improving the ease of doing business, the Ministry aims to transform these capital injections into long term stability for the Nigerian market.
