Country Report: Nigeria
Nigeria, located in West Africa, is Africa’s most populous country with the recent estimate at 170 million. In spite of possessing huge human capital, fertile soils and being oil-rich, Nigeria can teach the mineral rich world a lesson or two about what not to do. Corruption, political instability, pollution and poor management are some of the reasons Nigeria has not been able to rise and gain the status it should have in the African continent.
Macro-economic factors
- Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
A look at the real GDP growth of Nigeria shows that it has ranged between 6.4% and 7.8% from 2007-2013. It reached its peak of 7.8% in 2010 and is forecasted to be 6.4% in 2012 as compared to the world average of 2.2% and 3.9% for Sub-Saharan Africa.
Economists say that it is in fact the non-oil sector that has pushed the economy forward, and will continue to do so. Growth can largely be attributed to activities in telecommunications followed by building and construction, and the services sector in general. Regulatory body, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) was established in 1992, and commenced full market liberalization and reform in 2000. It is sensed that investment in telecom has triggered off an economic chain which has positively impacted other sectors of the economy.
