The United States Department of State has identified insecurity, corruption, port inefficiencies and regulatory uncertainty as major barriers to investment in Nigeria, warning that the challenges continue to affect the country’s business environment despite signs of macroeconomic stability.
In its ‘2026 Investment Climate Statements on Nigeria’, the department said the country’s investment climate had been shaped by the effects of “painful but necessary” structural reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
According to the report, the removal of fuel subsidies and liberalisation of the foreign exchange market initially triggered significant economic volatility, although indicators in early 2026 suggested some stabilisation.
However, it warned that security concerns, administrative bottlenecks and the social consequences of the economic reforms remained significant considerations for foreign investors.
“The security environment is a primary variable which gives pause to potential investors,” the report said.
It noted that although attacks on oil infrastructure in the Niger Delta had declined, oil theft and illegal bunkering remained persistent problems.
“In the North, the expansion of terrorist and ‘bandit’ groups continues to degrade the climate for agribusiness and mining,” the document added.
The report also expressed concern over the treatment of foreign business executives involved in regulatory disputes, citing the detention of Tigran Gambaryan, a US citizen and Binance executive, for nearly eight months in 2024.
“Furthermore, the use of coercive exit bans and detentions — highlighted by the high-profile nearly eight-month detention in 2024 of U.S. citizen Binance employee Tigran Gambaryan — serves as a cautionary note for foreign executives regarding the risks of aggressive regulatory friction,” it said.
The department warned that such incidents could influence how Nigeria is perceived as a destination for foreign investment.
Port delays described as ‘hidden tax’ on investment
The department identified inefficiencies at Nigerian seaports as another major challenge for businesses, particularly companies that rely on imports and exports.
“Port inefficiency remains a significant ‘hidden tax’ on investment,” the report said.
It stated that the Lekki Deep Seaport handled $9.6 billion in trade in 2025 and operated at 50 per cent capacity, helping to ease pressure on older port facilities.
However, traditional ports in Apapa and Tin Can Island continued to record cargo dwell times exceeding 20 days because of manual examinations, the report added.
“To address this, the government launched phase one of the National Single Window (NSW) on March 27, 2026,” the report said.
The platform is intended to integrate trade agencies, including the Nigeria Customs Service, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, into a single digital workflow.
According to the report, the initiative aims to reduce cargo dwell time to fewer than seven days and eliminate 80 per cent of manual paperwork by the end of 2026.
92% of capital inflows was portfolio investment
The report acknowledged an increase in capital inflows but cautioned that the figures did not necessarily indicate a corresponding rise in long-term investment in physical infrastructure.
“Nigeria’s capital importation reached $21 billion in October 2025, a large increase from 2024,” it said.
“However, 92 percent was made up of foreign portfolio investment (‘hot money’) seeking high interest rates, while actual foreign direct investment (FDI) in physical infrastructure remained modest.”
The report noted that Nigeria continued to allow full foreign ownership in most sectors, subject to restrictions in certain industries and licensing requirements.
It also highlighted the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission’s One-Stop Investment Centre, which coordinates 27 government agencies to help investors navigate administrative processes.
According to the department, US foreign direct investment in Nigeria reached $7.9 billion by the end of 2024, representing a 25 per cent increase from the previous year.
Bilateral trade between Nigeria and the United States also reached $14.8 billion in 2025, it added.
The report said Nigeria’s economic reforms had improved some macroeconomic indicators but imposed significant costs on households.
“The fiscal correction came at a high social cost,” the report said.
It added that the removal of fuel subsidies had caused petrol prices to “quintuple from 2023 levels”, contributing to an estimated national poverty rate of 63 per cent in 2025, citing an April 2026 World Bank report.
Nigeria’s gross domestic product growth increased from 3.3 per cent in 2023 to 4.1 per cent in 2024 before declining slightly to four per cent in 2025, the report said.
It also noted that the Central Bank of Nigeria reported foreign exchange reserves of $50.45 billion in February 2026, describing the figure as a 13-year peak.
On inflation, the report said headline inflation reached 34.8 per cent in late 2024 before falling to 15.15 per cent by December 2025 following the rebasing of the Consumer Price Index and subsequent methodological changes.
Food inflation stood at 10.84 per cent in December 2025 under the rebased index, it added.
‘Corruption remains a systemic barrier’
The report identified corruption as a persistent obstacle to investment, including in port operations.
“Corruption remains a systemic barrier, including at seaports where customs delays impede trade,” it said.
It also described Nigeria’s trade regime as “somewhat protectionist”, citing high tariffs and import restrictions designed to protect domestic industries.
According to the report, some companies are required to invest in local production in exchange for permits and quotas to import the same products.
It said the government had introduced reforms aimed at improving the regulatory environment, but implementation remained inconsistent.
“Nigeria’s regulatory environment has transitioned toward a ‘structural reset’ designed to improve predictability, though implementation remains uneven,” the report said.
The department also highlighted the transition from the Pioneer Status Incentive scheme to the Economic Development Tax Incentive, which took effect in January 2026, as an area requiring administrative adjustments for foreign businesses.