Nigeria’s capital importation into the manufacturing sector surged by 17.2 percent in the first quarter of 2026, indicating an increased appetite among investors for industrial production during the period.
Foreign investments in the sector surged year-on-year to $152.3 million in QI 2026 from $129.92 million in 2024, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The sector’s share of total capital importation also grew by 1.47 percent in the first quarter of 2026, accounting for $10.37 billion of the total capital importation for the period. The surge occurred in line with the country recording a surge in total foreign direct investments for the period.
On a quarter-quarter basis, foreign capital importation into the sector plunged 51 percent to $308.9 million.
The investment surge is in line with the sector’s year-on-year growth of 3.29 percent in the first quarter of 2026, doubling from 1.69 percent in Q1 2025, as reforms in foreign exchange began to ease long-standing constraints on factory output.
