Nigeria's stock market dominates foreign investments inflow with $48 billion in shares over ten years
Nigeria's economy attracted $114 billion in the past decade from foreign investors. They invested $48 billion in shares, making up 42% of total capital imports. The Banking and Finance sectors followed with $21.6 billion and $15.7 billion, respectively, accounting for a combined 33%. Manufacturing, Telecommunications, and Servicing sectors collectively attracted $19.2 billion. Businesses related to Trading, Agriculture, and Oil and Gas each received 2%. This distribution underscores investors' confidence in Nigeria's financial services sector over others.
Nigeria's total capital imports surged to $23.2bn in 2025, the highest level recorded in the entire 2014 to 2025 period.
Foreign Portfolio Investment dominated in 2025, claiming 85 cents of every dollar imported, up sharply from 68% in 2024.
Foreign Direct Investment has remained consistently weak, never exceeding 20% across all eleven years, and falling to just 4% in 2025.
The "Others" category, which peaked at 61% in 2023, has collapsed to just 11% in 2025, reflecting a dramatic shift toward portfolio-driven capital flows
Nigeria recorded $126.3 million in foreign direct investment during Q1 2025, comprising 2.2% of the country's total capital importation.
Equity investment was the primary FDI channel, accounting for $124.31 million or 98.4% of the total FDI.
"Other Capital" (possibly intra-company loans or reinvested earnings) contributed just $1.98 million, a marginal 1.6% share.
The dominance of equity suggests that foreign investors are committing more to long-term ownership and participation in Nigerian businesses rather than short-term financing
