The foreign direct investment inflows in Nigeria has received a major boost rising to $21 billion between January and October 2025, marking a sharp rise compared to previous years.

The figure represents a 75 per cent increase from $12 billion in 2024 and more than a 425 per cent jump from under $4 billion in 2023.

Making this disclosure was the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Jumoke Oduwole.

She spoke while presenting her ministry’s budget defence before the House Committee on Commerce last Wednesday.

According to her, the surge was driven by over 100 bilateral investment engagements, both locally and abroad, with new partners such as the UAE, Brazil, and Japan, alongside traditional allies like the United States and the United Kingdom.

According to her, UK investors accounted for roughly 65 per cent of Nigeria’s foreign capital inflows in 2025. “Our engagements have strengthened investor confidence, and the UK remains the largest source of capital importation into Nigeria,” she told lawmakers.

On trade, Oduwole reported that Nigeria recorded a surplus in 2025, with total trade valued at about ₦113 trillion in the first three quarters. Exports rose by 11 per cent year-on-year to $6.1 billion, the highest ever in both value and volume.

Capital importation figures include foreign direct investment, portfolio investment, and other forms of inflows, with the United Kingdom emerging as the dominant contributor.

In a related development, the Nigerian equities market gained N1.2 trillion at the close of trading last Thursday.

This followed the surge in the share prices of stocks such as Guinea Insurance, CNIF, and Seplat, among others, on the trading floor.

The benchmark All-Share Index (ASI) increased to 170,005.36 points from the 168,030.18 points recorded on the previous trading day.

After five hours of trading at the capital market, the equity capitalisation surged to N109.1 trillion from N107.8 trillion posted by the bourse on Wednesday.

The market breadth was positive, with 57 stocks advancing, 17 declining, and 74 remaining unchanged in 46,104 deals.

A total of 712,980,642 shares were traded, valued at N22.2 billion.

Guinea Insurance, CNIF, and Seplat led the gainers’ chart, with 10% growth in share prices, respectively, to close at N1.43, N110.00, and N7370. per share, up from N1.30, N1000.00, and N6700.00 per share.

DeapCap, Universal Insurance, and HM Call led other price decliners with a 9.62%, 9.43% and 9.09% dip each in share price to close at N6.20, N1.44, and N4.00 per share, down from the previous N6.96, N1.59, and N4.40 per share

On the volume index, Access Holding Plc led trading with 106 million shares in 1,895 deals, followed by Chams, which traded 44 million shares in 875 deals.

Champion traded 44 million shares in 204 deals.

On the value index, Geregu traded stocks valued at N2.8 billion in 98 deals, followed by Access Holding Plc, which traded equities worth N2.4 billion in 1,895 deals.

Seplat traded shares valued at N1.8 billion in 314 deals.