Capital importation into Nigeria surged to $5.64 billion in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025 — a 67.12% increase compared to the $3.38 billion recorded in the same period of 2024.
The figure also marks a 10.86% rise from the $5.09 billion posted in Q4 2024, according to the latest capital importation report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The NBS data shows that portfolio investment remained the dominant contributor, accounting for $5.2 billion or 92.25% of total inflows.
Other investments stood at $311.17 million (5.52%), while foreign direct investment (FDI) was the least at $126.29 million — representing just 2.24% of total capital importation in Q1 2025.
By sector, the banking industry attracted the highest capital inflows at $3.13 billion — 55.44% of the total. It was followed by the financing sector with $2.1 billion (37.18%) and the production/manufacturing sector at $129.92 million (2.30%).
In terms of country of origin, the United Kingdom led with $3.68 billion (65.26%), followed by South Africa ($501.29 million or 8.88%) and Mauritius ($394.51 million or 6.99%).
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Lagos were the top recipients of capital inflows.
Abuja received $3.05 billion (54.11%), while Lagos attracted $2.56 billion (45.44%). Ogun, Oyo, and Kaduna states received minimal capital — $7.95 million, $7.81 million, and $4.06 million, respectively.
According to the NBS report, Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Ltd received the highest capital inflow at $2.1 billion, followed by Stanbic IBTC Bank ($1.4 billion) and Citibank Nigeria ($1.05 billion).
