Nigeria Climbs to 4th in Africa for Investor-Friendly FX Access — ABSA 2025 Index
By Amanabo Ocholi | The Bureau News
ABUJA — Nigeria News Today: Nigeria has achieved its strongest improvement in foreign exchange (FX) accessibility in years, climbing 15 places to rank 4th in Africa among countries where international investors can easily deploy and repatriate capital.
This is according to the newly released
ABSA Africa Financial Markets Index 2025.
The report places Nigeria just behind South Africa, Madagascar, and Mauritius.
CBN Reforms Strengthen Nigeria’s FX Market
The ABSA Africa Financial Markets Index—now in its ninth edition—evaluates market depth, transparency, and financial sustainability across 29 African economies representing over 80% of the continent’s GDP.
According to the 2025 report, Nigeria’s rise reflects bold FX reforms introduced by the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
since mid-2024. These reforms include:
- Unifying multiple FX exchange windows.
- Clearing over $7 billion in FX backlog obligations.
- Facilitating the smooth repatriation of foreign investors’ capital.
- Improving stability and rebuilding FX reserves.
These steps have restored investor confidence, reduced naira volatility, and strengthened Nigeria’s position as one of Africa’s fastest-reforming financial markets.
Investor Confidence Rising
Analysts note that the CBN’s reforms, under Governor Olayemi Cardoso, have boosted transparency and liquidity in the official FX market.
The shift toward a more market-reflective exchange rate has earned praise from multilateral institutions such as the
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
and the
World Bank.
Experts believe the improved ranking will attract new foreign investments into energy, manufacturing, fintech, and other key sectors.
Follow more economic updates on
The Bureau News.
