Purchase OBG Publications

With Africa’s largest economy and its biggest population, Nigeria’s growth potential has been widely reported; however, long-term bottlenecks have prevented the country from realising that potential. The transport sector has been identified over the years as one of those bottlenecks. As a result of decades of poor maintenance and underinvestment in new capacity, the sector is marked by congestion, inefficiency and high overheads. Therefore, transport infrastructure and the logistics sector were identified as key elements of the March 2017 Economic Growth and Recovery Plan – President Muhammadu Buhari’s strategy for the country’s post-recession development. Officials have stated that public sector spending alone cannot address all of the challenges facing the sector, however, leading to a shift towards improving the business environment in order to attract new private investment in rolling stock, infrastructure and facility management. This chapter contains interviews with Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation; and Hadiza Bala Usman, Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority.

Despite facing many challenges in 2016, the Nigerian telecoms market continues to grow and offers significant potential for investment. With a population of 189m, this substantial consumer base offers a variety of opportunities for mobile operators, broadband companies and content providers. Furthermore, the government’s intention to use telecoms and ICT not only for economic development, but also for financial inclusion, bodes well for the industry. At the same time, the Nigerian telecoms sector is constrained by high costs, general economic uncertainty and an uneven competitive environment. However, the long-term outlook for the market is positive: the country has a young, rapidly expanding population, providing a substantial pool of consumers, and smartphone use and data consumption are expected to increase swiftly over the next five years and beyond. Investment in infrastructure will be key in the years ahead, as well as a more attractive environment for both foreign investors and local start-ups. Despite these challenges, the country has managed to produce some of the continent’s most successful ICT firms, and the sector is expected to emerge as a standout market in the coming years. This chapter contains an interview with Ayotunde Coker, CEO, Rack Centre.

As Nigeria’s economy contracted in 2016, the country’s agriculture sector took on even more importance. Long touted as a remedy to the West African nation’s dependence on oil, agriculture is now seen as a potential economic saviour. Before hydrocarbons became the main source of economic growth and export revenue, agriculture dominated the local economy. A number of indicators have been stalled in a low-growth pattern for decades; however, they are now beginning to move in the right direction. Despite some challenges and a high food import bill, the agriculture sector continues to grow. This chapter contains interviews with Audu Innocent Ogbeh, Minister of Agriculture; Rahul Savara, Group Managing Director, TGI Group; and Bukar Tijani, Regional Representative for Africa, UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.

Comprising major food and consumer staples producers, Africa’s largest cement manufacturers, and a handful of heavy industries and light manufacturing, Nigeria has a diversified industrial sector. According to data from the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), the country is home to the largest manufacturing sector on the continent and, along with Egypt, South Africa and Morocco, it accounts for two-thirds of the continent’s manufacturing in nominal US dollar terms. Given the potential of the industrial sector for both employment and revenues, the government is hoping to stoke further growth. The potential Nigeria offers as an industrial producer is not in any doubt, and the long-term advantages are sizeable, but so too are the challenges. As a result, the stabilisation of the macroeconomic situation offers some short-term hope. The long-term promise, however, is significant given the country’s vast array of inputs, such as natural gas, metals and agricultural commodities, as well as a domestic market of 189m people and duty-free access to another 120m consumers within ECOWAS. This chapter contains interviews with Okechukwu E Enelamah, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment; and Kayode Fayemi, Minister of Solid Minerals Development; and a roundtable interview with Chidi Okoro, Managing Director, UAC Foods; Theo Williams, Country Manager, AJE; and George Plymenakos, Managing Director, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC).

As Africa’s largest oil producer, Nigeria is a key member of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the world’s fourth-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas. Policy moves over the past two decades have enabled young Nigerian companies to acquire and develop oil and gas blocks, build pipelines and distribution networks, and soon, based on the current project pipeline, refineries and power plants as well. There is still ample room for improvement, however. Renewed militant activity in the Niger Delta region – where much of the upstream activity is concentrated – continues to disrupt production, while the country’s regulatory framework is ageing, with a long-awaited overhaul yet to materialise. Nigeria’s energy sector is largely awaiting the passage of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill – which has been on the cards for roughly a decade – but given the recent momentum in the National Assembly, the next year may finally see that happen, which would bring in significant sector changes. This chapter contains interviews with Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State, Petroleum Resources; Femi Otedola, Chairman, Forte Oil; Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, Secretary-General, OPEC; and Guido d’Aloisio, Central Africa Regional Manager, Saipem.

As Africa’s largest oil producer, Nigeria is a key member of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the world’s fourth-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas. Policy moves over the past two decades have enabled young Nigerian companies to acquire and develop oil and gas blocks, build pipelines and distribution networks, and soon, based on the current project pipeline, refineries and power plants as well. There is still ample room for improvement, however. Renewed militant activity in the Niger Delta region – where much of the upstream activity is concentrated – continues to disrupt production, while the country’s regulatory framework is ageing, with a long-awaited overhaul yet to materialise. Nigeria’s energy sector is largely awaiting the passage of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill – which has been on the cards for roughly a decade – but given the recent momentum in the National Assembly, the next year may finally see that happen, which would bring in significant sector changes. This chapter contains interviews with Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State, Petroleum Resources; Femi Otedola, Chairman, Forte Oil; Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, Secretary-General, OPEC; and Guido d’Aloisio, Central Africa Regional Manager, Saipem.