Nigeria to Achieve Its Strongest Economic in a Decade — Rewane

Economist and Managing Director of Financial Derivatives Company (FDC), Bismarck Rewane, has projected that Nigeria could enter 2026 on its strongest economic footing in more than a decade.

The boom, according to Rewane, will be anchored on a combination of easing inflation, rising investment, major corporate listings and stabilising monetary conditions which is expected to propel the country into a new and more durable cycle of growth.

The economist in a presentation at the Parthian Economic Discourse 2025 held in Lagos recently describes 2026 as a defining year in which structural reforms, private-sector expansion and improved policy coordination converge to reposition Africa’s largest economy for a significant turnaround.

Rewane’s analysis points to a pivotal shift driven by the reorganisation of key sectors — manufacturing, banking, technology, telecoms, the creative industry and real estate — under more favourable macroeconomic conditions.

He argues that after years of sky-high inflation which peaked to over 34 percent last year; exchange-rate distortions that saw the naira shed about 70 percent of its value; and suppressed investment, Nigeria is finally approaching an economic juncture where fundamentals and reform momentum can reinforce each other rather than work in conflict.

Speaking on NGX N262trn projection in 2026, he said, Africa’s most populous economy’s capital market is poised for unprecedented growth as he projects that the Nigerian Exchange’s total market capitalisation could jump to N262 trillion in 2026, up sharply from the current N93 trillion.

At that level, he notes, the market would represent 72 percent of Nigeria’s projected GDP, placing it among the fastest-expanding markets in the emerging-economies universe.

He attributes the coming expansion to anticipated listings of mega corporates, including the Dangote Refinery and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), alongside accelerating profitability across sectors such as telecoms, cement, consumer goods and banking.