Nigeria recorded a total capital importation of $6.44 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025, marking a 26.6 per cent increase from the $5.09 billion posted in the same period of 2024.
This is according to the latest Capital Importation report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Wednesday, which also showed a quarter-on-quarter increase of 7.13% from $6.01 billion in Q3 2025.
Portfolio investment dominated inflows, contributing $5.49 billion or 85.14 per cent of the total, while Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) accounted for $357.8 million (5.55 per cent), with other investments at $599.65 million (9.31 per cent).
A breakdown of the data indicated that the banking sector attracted the largest share of inflows at $3.85 billion, followed by the financing sector with $1.94 billion, while the manufacturing sector received $308.93 million.
By origin, the United Kingdom emerged as the top source of capital with $3.73 billion, followed by the United States and South Africa.
The report noted that while the figures reflect improving investor confidence, the dominance of short-term portfolio investments and low FDI levels underscore continued concerns about weak long-term investment in the real sector.
For policymakers, the challenge remains converting rising capital inflows into productive investments that can drive sustainable growth, job creation, and industrial expansion.
