Business
Rivers, Edo, Akwa Ibom, 29 Others Attract Zero Foreign Investments In Q1 – Report

Thirty-two states in Nigeria, including Rivers and Kaduna, did not attract any foreign investments in the first quarter of 2022, The PUNCH has learnt.
A report by the National Bureau of Statistics shows that only Lagos, Oyo, Katsina, Anambra states, and the Federal Capital Territory attracted investment during the period.
According to the NBS’ Nigerian Capital Importation (Q1 2022), the total value of capital imported into Nigeria in the first quarter of 2022 stood at $1.6bn from $2.2bn in the preceding quarter, showing a decrease of 28.09 per cent.
When compared to the corresponding quarter of 2021, capital importation decreased by 17.46 per cent from $1.9bn.
The largest amount of capital importation by type was received through portfolio investment, which accounted for 60.87 per cent ($957.58m). This was followed by Other Investment with 29.28 per cent ($460.59m) while Foreign Direct Investment accounted for 9.85 per cent ($154.97m) of total capital imported in Q1 2022.
By destination of investment, Lagos State remained the top destination in Q1 with $1.1bn accounting for 71.16 per cent of total capital investment into Nigeria. This was followed by investment into Abuja (FCT), valued at $446.8m(28.40 per cent).
Anambra Oyo and Katsina states followed, with each raking in $4.1m, $2m and $700,000, respectively.
On the other hand, Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna and Kebbi states failed to attract any foreign investments during the period under review.
Others are Nasarawa, Kogi, Kwara, Kano, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara states.
Categorisation of total capital investment by bank shows that Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria ranked highest in Q1 with $543.20m (34.53 per cent). This was followed by Citi Bank Nigeria Limited with $439.03m(27.91 per cent) and Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc with $251.52 (15.99 per cent).
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, an ECOWAS Common Investment Market consultant, Professor Jonathan Aremu, said, “It’s simple. It’s because they don’t have the attracting factors. The factors that attract foreign investment are not available in those 31 states. One thing about investment is that it is crisis shy. Investment doesn’t go to places where there are crisis. Why? Because investors want stability and predictability of their investments, particularly, having returns on their investments.
“When an economy is witnessing what we are witnessing currently, despite the investment potentials of that kind of economy, investors will wait and see whether the factors that can guarantee predictable and sustainable investments will finally be available.”
He added that the twin factors of a good investment climate as well as a good perception of that climate would have to be present for investors to develop the confidence to bring investments into the country.
Similarly, the Deputy-President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Gabriel Idahosa, cited factors such as insecurity and the economic crisis experienced in Nigeria in recent years as major reasons why investors may not consider Nigeria the best possible destination.
READ ALSO: Heavy Criticism For FG As 24 States Lose Foreign Investments
Idahosa said, “We know what to do. We simply have refused to do it. We know that we should have put in place a state police system around this country maybe five or 10 years back, before Boko Haram became a monster. If we had state police in Borno State when Boko Haram was a very small, tiny group of ruffians creating local problems, perhaps we never would have heard of Boko Haram.
“Generally, the police system should be taken out of the Exclusive list; so we can have state police, and municipal police, just like we have in other federations. The New York Police Department has a budget that is probably higher than the Nigerian Police. Same thing with the Los Angeles Police Department. We know what to do, it’s just the political confidence to do it.”
Business
Okonjo-Iweala Reveals How Nigeria Can Dominate AfCFTA

The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, WTO, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, says Nigeria has what it takes to lead Africa’s new era of trade if it tackles high logistics costs, develops efficient payment systems, and invests in value addition.
Okonjo-Iweala, who was speaking on the sidelines of the WTO Public Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, said Nigeria and other African economies must speed up the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA, and build stronger infrastructure to unlock billions of dollars in opportunities in manufacturing, services, and digital trade.
“The AfCFTA is a great step, but Africa trades only about 15–20 percent within itself — far below the European Union, EU’s 60 percent. We (Nigeria) need to speed up implementation so Africans trade more with each other.
READ ALSO:U.S, China Tariff War Could Slash Trade By 80%, Okonjo-Iweala Warns
“Take Lesotho: it exports around $200 million worth of textiles (jeans, etc.) to the U.S. — about 10 percent of its GDP — while Africa imports $7 billion of similar goods. Why not absorb Lesotho’s products within Africa? To unlock intra-African trade, we (Nigeria) need efficient payment systems (Afreximbank and others are working on this), better infrastructure and lower trade costs. It shouldn’t take longer to ship goods from Cape Town to Lagos than from China to Lagos.
“With critical minerals, energy, and new supply chains, plus opportunities in services and digital trade, there’s huge potential — if we invest in connectivity and implementation,” she said.
The former Nigeria’s Minister of Finance also cautioned that negative narratives about global commerce risk overshadowing recent successes achieved through multilateral cooperation.
Business
French Media Giant Canal+ Takes Over S.Africa’s Multichoice

French media giant Canal+ said Monday it had taken effective control of South African television and streaming company MultiChoice, creating a group present in nearly 70 countries in Africa, Europe and Asia.
The companies said in a joint statement that the combined group will have a workforce of 17,000 employees and serve more than 40 million subscribers.
The acquisition is “the largest transaction ever undertaken” by Canal+, the statement said.
READ ALSOFrench Media Giant Acquires MultiChoice In $3bn Deal, Gains Full Control Of DStv, GOtv
Canal+, which is already the sector’s leader in French-speaking African countries, now controls what it described as the leader in the continent’s English- and Portuguese-speaking regions.
“This acquisition allows us to strengthen our position as a leader in Africa, one of the most dynamic pay-TV markets in the world,” Canal+ chief executive Maxime Saada said in the statement.
The buyout was given a final green light by South Africa’s competition authority in late July, more than a year after Canal+ launched its bid.
READ ALSO:FG To Arraign MultiChoice Chairman, MD, Others For Allegedly Breaching FCCP Act
Canal+ offered 125 rand ($7.2) per share for MultiChoice when it launched its offer last year, valuing the South African firm at around $3.0 billion.
Canal+ is present in 25 African countries through 16 subsidiaries and has eight million subscribers.
MultiChoice operates in 50 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and has 14.5 million subscribers.
It includes Africa’s premier sports broadcaster, SuperSport, and the DStv satellite television service.
AFP
Business
BREAKING: Nigeria’s GDP Grows By 4.23% In Q2 2025 – NBS

Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product grew by 4.23 per cent (year-on-year) in the second quarter of 2025, the National Bureau of Statistics revealed in its Q2 2025 GDP Report.
According to the report released on Monday on its website, the figure shows a significant improvement compared to 3.48 per cent recorded in the second quarter of 2024 and the 3.13 per cent recorded in Q1 2025.
The figures signal a strengthening economy, driven by recent rebasing, rebound in oil production and a resilient non-oil sector.
READ ALSO: UK GDP Records Fastest Growth In Q1 2025
The report said, “Following the rebasing of the Gross Domestic Product using 2019 as the base year, previous quarterly GDP estimates were benchmarked to the rebased annual estimates to align the old series with the new rebased estimates
“This procedure provided a new quarterly GDP series, which is compared to the 2025 second quarter estimates. Gross Domestic Product grew by 4.23% (year-on-year) in real terms in the second quarter of 2025.
“This growth rate is higher than the 3.48 per cent recorded in the second quarter of 2024. During the quarter under review, agriculture grew by 2.82%, an improvement from the 2.60% recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2024.
READ ALSO: BREAKING: Nigeria’s GDP Grew By 3.46% In Q4 2023 — NBS
According to NBS, “The growth of the industry sector stood at 7.45% from 3.72% recorded in the second quarter of 2024, while the Services sector recorded a growth of 3.94% from 3.83% in the same quarter of 2024.”
The report said in terms of share of the GDP, “the Industry sector contributed more to the aggregate GDP in the second quarter of 2025 at 17.31% compared to the corresponding quarter of 2024 at 16.79%.”
It added, “In the quarter under review, aggregate GDP at basic price stood at N100,730,501.10 million in nominal terms. This performance is higher when compared to the second quarter of 2024, which recorded an aggregate GDP of N84,484,878.46 million, indicating a year-on-year nominal growth of 19.23%.”
Details later…
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