KEY POINTS
- Nigeria’s oil and gas sector attracted $17.98 million in capital inflows in 2025, more than triple the $5.12 million recorded in 2024.
- Gas export earnings rose 21% to $10.51 billion, reinforcing natural gas as a key foreign exchange earner.
- Policy reforms, the “Decade of Gas” strategy, and new development roadmaps are driving investor interest, though inflows remain below the sector’s full potential.
Nigeria’s oil and gas industry recorded a notable rise in capital inflows in 2025, attracting $17.98 million compared to $5.12 million in 2024, according to the latest capital importation report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The sharp increase signals a gradual return of investor confidence in Nigeria’s hydrocarbon sector despite global pressure to scale down investments in fossil fuels.
The development also underscores Nigeria’s growing shift toward natural gas as a transition fuel and a major source of foreign exchange earnings.
Capital Inflows More Than Triple
Data from the NBS shows that capital inflows into the oil and gas sector more than tripled year-on-year, rising from $5.12 million in 2024 to $17.98 million in 2025.
The improvement reflects renewed investor interest driven by regulatory clarity, policy reforms, and targeted incentives aimed at strengthening the sector. Analysts also attribute the growth to the Federal Government’s “Decade of Gas” strategy, which prioritises gas development as a key driver of economic growth.
The rise in capital inflows coincided with strong performance in Nigeria’s gas exports. The Central Bank of Nigeria reported that gas export earnings increased by 21% to $10.51 billion in 2025, up from $8.66 billion in 2024.
This growth highlights the expanding contribution of natural gas to Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves and reinforces the country’s strategy of positioning gas as a transition fuel in its energy mix.
Efforts to boost the sector have gained momentum following the launch of a Gas Development Roadmap by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission. The initiative targets the commercialization of more than 55 trillion cubic feet of unutilized gas reserves.
The roadmap is expected to unlock investments across the entire gas value chain, including exploration, processing, transportation, and export infrastructure.
