Economy
Foreign Investors Begin to Snub Nigeria Over Unstable Policies
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The rising inflation, insecurity in different parts of the country, devaluation of Naira, harsh operating environment and others are beginning to scare foreign investors away from Nigeria.
Nigeria, which boasts of about 200 million people, prides itself as the giant of Africa and the largest economy on the continent.
However, the various issues facing the nation, especially kidnappings, killings by terrorists termed bandits and others, are making offshore investors wonder if their investments in the country would be safe.
Recent data released by the Nigerian Investments Promotion Commission (NIPC) has shown that foreign investors’ interest in the country was dwindling.
The agency, in its report of investment announcements in Nigeria (January – March 2021), revealed that the sum promised to be invested in Nigeria declined by 26.7 per cent in the first quarter of the year to $5.5 billion from $7.5 billion received in the corresponding period of 2020.
A large chunk of the investment announcements came from the manufacturing sector, accounting for 60 per cent, followed by construction with 34 per cent, electricity with 3 per cent, agriculture and others with one per cent each.
In the same period of last year, transportation accounted for 42 per cent, information and communication technology with 33 per cent, mining/quarrying with 21 per cent, agriculture with 4 per cent and others with one per cent.
By destination, Bayelsa got the lion share with 43 per cent, followed by Delta State with 35 per cent, Akwa Ibom with 17 per cent, Lagos with 3 per cent and others with 3 per cent.
In the corresponding period of 2020, Kaduna accounted for 54 per cent, Nasarawa with one per cent, Lagos with one per cent, and others with 44 per cent.
By source, the investment pledge by local investors accounted for 35 per cent, while Morocco accounted for 17 per cent, the UK with 3 per cent, the US with one per cent and others with 44 per cent.
In the first three months of last year, the US was 42 per cent, South Africa 33 per cent, Nigeria 16 per cent, the UK 8 per cent and others one per cent.
According to the NIPC, Nigeria, in terms of volume, received 15 projects across eight states in the first three months of 2021 in contrast to the 19 projects across 14 states.
Many have blamed the federal government for not having stable fiscal and monetary policies enough to attract foreign direct investments (FDIs) into the country.
An example was in August 2019 when the federal government without prior notice announced the closure of all land borders.
Another was the most recent in June 2021, when the federal government announced the suspension of operations of Twitter in Nigeria because the platform merely enforced one of its rules and deleted a tweet of President Muhammadu Buhari. Prior to the incident, the social media giant snubbed Nigeria to establish its African office in neighbouring Ghana because of moves by Nigeria to pass a bill some observers have said is aimed to gag the media and freedom of speech.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, increased by 55.4 per cent on a month-on-month basis to 71.5 million litres per day in November 2025 from 46 million litres per day in October.
This was contained in the November 2025 fact sheet of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) on Monday.
The data showed that the nation’s consumption also increased by 44.5 per cent or 37.4 million litres to 52.1 million litres per day in November 2025, against 28.9 million litres in October.
The significant increase in petrol supply last month was on account of the imports by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited into the Nigerian market from both the domestic and the international market.
Domestic refineries supplied in the period stood at 17.1 million litres per day, while the average daily consumption of PMS for the month was 52.9 million litres per day.
The NMDPRA noted that no production activities were recorded in all the state-owned refineries, which included Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries, in the period, as the refineries remained shut down.
According to the report, the imports were aimed at building inventory and further guaranteeing supply during the peak demand period.
Other reasons for the increase, according to the NMDPRA, were due to “low supply recorded in September and October 2025, below the national demand threshold; the need for boosting national stock level to meet the peak demand period of end of year festivities, and twelve vessels programmed to discharge into October, which spilled into November.”
On gas, the average daily gas supply climbed to 4.684 billion standard cubic feet per day in November 2025, from the 3.94 bscf/d average processing level recorded in October.
The Nigeria LNG Trains 1-6 also maintained a stable processing output of 3.5 bscf/d in November 2025, but utilisation improved slightly to 73.7 per cent compared with 71.68 per cent in October.
The increase, according to the report, was driven by higher plant utilisation across processing hubs and steady export volumes from the Nigeria LNG plant in Bonny.
“As of November 2025, Nigeria’s major gas processing facilities recorded improved output and utilisation levels, with the Nigeria LNG Trains 1-6 processing 3.50 billion standard cubic feet per day at a utilisation rate of 73.70 per cent.
“Gbaran Ubie Gas Plant processed 1.250 bscf per day, operating at 71.21 per cent utilisation, while the MPNU Bonny River Terminal recorded a throughput of 0.690 bscf per day during the period. Processing activities at the Escravos Gas Plant stood at 0.680 bscf per day, representing a 62 per cent utilisation rate, whereas the Soku Gas Plant emerged as the top performer, processing 0.600 bscf per day at 96.84 per cent utilisation,” it stated.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The proposed share reconstruction of a local gaming firm, Secure Electronic Technology (SET), has been suspended.
The Lagos-based company decided to shelve the exercise after negotiations with potential investors crumbled like a house of cards.
Secure Electronic Technology was earlier in talks with some foreign investors interested in the organisation.
Plans were underway to restructure the shares of the company, which are listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited.
However, things did not go as planned as the potential investors pulled out, leaving the board to consider others ways to move the firm forward.
Confirming this development, the company secretary, Ms Irene Attoe, in a statement, said the board would explore other means to keep the company running to deliver value to shareholders.
“This is to notify the NGX and the investing public that a meeting of the board of SET held on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, as scheduled, to consider the status of the proposed share reconstruction and recapitalisation as approved by the members at the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held on April 16, 2025.
“After due deliberations, the board wishes to announce that the proposed share reconstruction will not take place as anticipated due to the inability of the parties to reach a convergence on the best and mutually viable terms.
“Thus, following an impasse in the negotiations, and the investors’ withdrawal from the transaction, the board has, in the interest of all members, decided to accept these outcomes and move ahead in the overall interest of the business.
“The board is committed to driving the strategic objectives of SEC and to seeking viable opportunities for sustainable growth of the company,” the disclosure stated.
Business Post reports that the share price of SET crashed by 3.85 per cent on Tuesday on Customs Street on Tuesday to 75 Kobo. Its 52-week high remains N1.33 and its one-year low is 45 Kobo. Today, investors transacted 39,331,958 units.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Clea, a blockchain-powered platform that allows African importers to pay international suppliers in USD while settling locally, has officially launched.
During its pilot phase, Clea processed more than $4 million in cross-border transactions, demonstrating strong early demand from businesses navigating the complexities of global trade.
Clea addresses persistent challenges that African importers have long struggled with, including limited FX access, unpredictable exchange rates, high bank charges, fraudulent intermediaries, and payment delays that slow or halt shipments. The continent also faces a trade-finance gap estimated at over $120 billion annually, limiting importers’ ability to access the FX and financial infrastructure needed for timely international payments by offering fast, transparent, and direct USD settlements, completed without intermediaries or banking bottlenecks.
Founded by Mr Sheriff Adedokun, Mr Iyiola Osuagwu, and Mr Sidney Egwuatu, Clea was created from the team’s own experiences dealing with unreliable international payments. The platform currently serves Nigerian importers trading with suppliers in the United States, China, and the UAE, with plans to expand into additional trade corridors.
The platform will allow local payments in Naira with instant access to Dollars as well as instant, same-day, or next-day settlement options and transparent, traceable transactions that reduce fraud risk.
Speaking on the launch, Mr Adedokun said, “Importers face unnecessary stress when payments are delayed or rejected. Clea eliminates that uncertainty by offering reliable, secure, and traceable payments completed in the importer’s own name, strengthening supplier confidence from day one.”
Mr Osuagwu, co-founder & CTO, added, “Our goal is to make global trade feel as seamless as a local transfer. By connecting local currencies to global transactions through blockchain technology, we are removing long-standing barriers that have limited African importers for years.”
According to a statement shared with Business Post, Clea is already working with shipping operators who refer merchants to the platform and is also engaging trade associations and logistics networks in key import hubs. The company remains fully bootstrapped but is open to strategic investors aligned with its mission to build a trusted global payment network for African businesses.
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