Nigeria’s capital importation climbed to $23bn in 2025 from over $12bn in 2024, while foreign exchange reserves surpassed $50bn, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, has disclosed.
Oduwole made this known on Monday in Lagos during the third annual Multi-Door Courthouses and Alternative Dispute Resolution Stakeholders’ Summit, where she highlighted the importance of effective dispute resolution in attracting investment.
She said capital importation increased by 83 per cent year-on-year, rising from $5.5bn in the first quarter of 2025 to more than $10bn in the corresponding period of 2026.
The minister also reported that Nigeria’s economy grew by over four per cent in 2025 and maintained that pace in the first half of 2026. Inflation, she added, declined from 33.2 per cent in 2024 to 14.63 per cent in September 2026.
According to her, the gains followed reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, including foreign exchange unification, fuel subsidy removal, tax changes and banking recapitalisation.
Oduwole said non-oil exports had exceeded $6bn, while manufacturing, agribusiness, financial technology, renewable energy and infrastructure offered opportunities for further investment.
However, she warned that much of the recent capital inflow consisted of short-term portfolio investments, stressing the need to attract funds into factories, infrastructure and productive businesses.
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“The quality of capital matters as much as the volume,” she said.
Oduwole identified lengthy commercial disputes and uncertainty surrounding contract enforcement as factors capable of discouraging investors.
She advocated wider use of mediation and arbitration to reduce costs, resolve disagreements faster and protect business relationships.
She also disclosed plans to strengthen investment regulations, including provisions for an investment ombudsman to address grievances before they escalate into formal disputes.
Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi said the government was reviewing the arbitration framework and developing a National Policy on Arbitration to position Nigeria as a leading African arbitration hub.
He praised the Lagos Multi-Door Courthouse and urged stronger dispute-resolution systems to improve investor confidence and economic competitiveness.
“Litigation may win cases, but mediation wins peace,” Fagbemi said.