…rises year on year by 148% in 2025
Nigeria re-entered Africa’s top five destinations for long-term capital inflows last year after Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows more than doubled to a decade high of $4.01 billion, supported largely by oil and gas-related international project finance deals.
BusinessDay analysis of the World Investment Report 2026, released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) today, showed that FDI inflows into Africa’s most populous nation rose by 148.4 percent in 2025 from $1.61 billion in the previous year.
Last year’s figure was Nigeria’s highest since 2014, when inflows reached $4.69 billion. The West African country last ranked among the continent’s five largest FDI recipients in 2021. In terms of growth rate, Guinea recorded the highest growth of 457.1 percent in 2025.
FDI remains the largest source of external finance for developing economies, accounting for about half of their total external financing in 2025, ahead of remittances, official development assistance, and portfolio flows.
