📰 Nigeria · page 5

Nigeria also has an abundant supply of under-exploited natural resources, including coal, bauxite, tantalite, gold, tin, iron ore, limestone, niobium, lead and zinc.[196]402 The country's gold production in 2015 was 8 metric tons.[197]403 Despite huge deposits of these natural resources, the mining industry in Nigeria is still in its infancy.[198]404

Agriculture

Further information: Agriculture in Nigeria

In 2021, about 23.4% of Nigeria's GDP was contributed by agriculture, forestry and fishing combined.[199]405 Nigeria is the world's largest producer of cassava.[200]406 Additional major crops include maize, rice, millet, yam beans, and guinea corn (sorghum).[201]407 Cocoa is the principal agricultural export, and one of the country's most significant non-petroleum products.[202][203]408 Nigeria is also one of the world's top twenty exporters of natural rubber, generating $20.9 million in 2019.[204]409

Before the Nigerian Civil War and the oil boom, Nigeria was self-sufficient in food,[205][206][207] and agriculture was the principal foreign exchange earner.[208]410 Though the Nigerian government promoted the use of inorganic fertilisers in the 1970s,[209] agriculture failed to keep pace with population growth and Nigeria now relies upon food imports to feed its people.[206][210]411 In 2022, it was spending US$6.7 billion yearly for food imports, four times its income from food exports.[200]412

Nigeria's rice production increased by 10% from 2017/18 to 2021/22, reaching 5 million tonnes per year,[211] but it failed to keep up with rising demand.413 Consequently, rice imports remained steady at 2 million tonnes annually.414 In August 2019, Nigeria closed its border with Benin and other neighbouring countries to stop rice smuggling into the country as part of efforts to boost local production.[212]415

Nigeria exports unhusked rice while relying on imports for processed husked rice, the country's staple food.416 The rice mill in Imota, near Lagos, was opened in 2023 to handle processing domestically, improve the balance of trade, bolster the labour market, and reduce transport and middleman costs, with design targets to support 250,000 direct and indirect jobs and produce 2.5 million 50-kg bags of rice annually.417 However, severe shortages of raw paddy, security disruptions, and high logistics costs have prevented the facility from reaching capacity, keeping Nigeria dependent on foreign rice imports.[213][214]418

Oil and natural gas

Further information: Petroleum industry in Nigeria, Oil theft in Nigeria

Nigeria is the 15th largest producer of petroleum in the world, the 6th largest exporter, and has the 9th largest proven reserves.419 Petroleum plays a large role in the Nigerian economy and politics, accounting for about 80% of government earnings.420 Nigeria also has the 9th largest proven natural gas reserves estimated by OPEC; the government's value of its about 206.53 trillion cubic feet has been valued at $803.4 trillion.[215]421 Natural gas is seen as having the potential to unlock an economic miracle on the Niger River.[216]422 Nigeria each year loses to gas flaring an estimate of US$2.5 billion,[217] and over 120,000 barrels of oil per day to crude theft in the Niger Delta, its main oil-producing region.[218][219]423 This has led to piracy and conflict for control in the region and has led to disruptions in production preventing the country from meeting its OPEC quota and exporting petroleum at full capability.[220]424

Nigeria has a total of 159 oil fields and 1,481 wells in operation according to the Department of Petroleum Resources.[221]425 The most productive region of the nation is the coastal Niger Delta Basin in the Niger Delta or "south-south" region which encompasses 78 of the 159 oil fields.426 Most of Nigeria's oil fields are small and scattered, and as of 1990, these small fields accounted for 62.1% of all Nigerian production.427 This contrasts with the sixteen largest fields which produced 37.9% of Nigeria's petroleum at that time.[222]428 Petrol was Nigeria's main import commodity until 2021, accounting for 24% of import volume.[223]429

The Niger Delta Nembe Creek oil field was discovered in 1973 and produces from the middle Miocene deltaic sandstone-shale in an anticline structural trap at a depth of 2 to 4 km.[224]430 In June 2013, Shell announced a strategic review of its operations in Nigeria, hinting that assets could be divested.431 While many international oil companies have operated there for decades, by 2014 most were making moves to divest their interests, citing a range of issues including oil theft.432 In August 2014, Shell said it was finalising its interests in four Nigerian oil fields.[225]433

The supply of natural gas to Europe, threatened by the Russo-Ukrainian war, pushed projects to transport Nigerian natural gas via pipelines to Morocco or Algeria.[226][227][228]434 As of May 2022, however, there are no results on this yet.435

Thanks to the success of the Dangote refinery, which opened in 2023, Nigeria is transforming from an oil exporter into a fuel and fertiliser exporter.[229][230]436

Energy

Main article: Energy in Nigeria

Nigeria's energy consumption is much more than its generation capacity.437 Most of the energy comes from traditional fossil fuels, which account for 73% of total primary production.438 The rest is from hydropower (27%).439 Since independence, Nigeria has tried to develop a domestic nuclear industry for energy.440 Nigeria opened 2004 a Chinese-origin research reactor at Ahmadu Bello University and has sought the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency to develop plans for up to 4,000 MW of nuclear capacity by 2027 according to the National Program for the Deployment of Nuclear Power for Generation of Electricity.441 In 2007, President Umaru Yar'Adua urged the country to embrace nuclear power to meet its growing energy needs.442 In 2017, Nigeria signed the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.[231]443 In April 2015, Nigeria began talks with Russia's state-owned Rosatom to collaborate on the design, construction and operation of four nuclear power plants by 2035, the first of which will be in operation by 2025.444 In June 2015, Nigeria selected two sites for the planned construction of the nuclear plants.445 Neither the Nigerian government nor Rosatom would disclose the specific locations of the sites, but it is believed that the nuclear plants will be sited in Akwa Ibom State and Kogi State.446 The sites are planned to house two plants each.447 In 2017 agreements were signed for the construction of the Itu nuclear power plant.448

Electricity

According to the survey, 94% of Nigerians are connected to the national grid, but only 57% have their electricity consumption recorded by an electricity meter.[232]449 Only 1% of Nigerians surveyed reported having electricity 24 hours a day.450 68% have electricity 1 to 9 hours a day, according to the NIO.451 Two-thirds of Nigerians, or 66%, pay up to 10,000 Naira (US$13) a month for electricity, which is almost 3% of the average income in Nigeria.[232]452 Over two-thirds of respondents, or 67%, were willing to pay more for uninterrupted electricity supply.453 Power generators are owned by 21% of Nigerians, while 14% use solar energy.[232]454

Manufacturing and technology

Further information: Automotive industry in Nigeria, Pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria

Nigeria has a manufacturing industry that includes leather and textiles (centred in Kano, Abeokuta, Onitsha, and Lagos), plastics and processed food.455 Ogun is considered to be Nigeria's current industrial hub, as most factories are located in Ogun and more companies are moving there, followed by Lagos.[233][234][235]456 The city of Aba in the south-eastern part of the country is well known for handicrafts and shoes, known as "Aba made".[236]457 Nigeria has a market of 720,000 cars per year, but less than 20% of these are produced domestically.[237]458

In 2016, Nigeria was the leading cement producer south of the Sahara, ahead of South Africa.[238]459 Aliko Dangote, Nigeria's richest inhabitant, based his wealth on cement production, as well as agricultural commodities.[239]460 According to its own information, the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited produces 1.3 million tonnes of steel per year.[240]461 However, steel plants in Katsina, Jos and Osogbo no longer appear to be active.[241]462

In June 2019, Nigeria EduSat-1 was deployed from the International Space Station.463 It is the first satellite that was built in Nigeria, which followed many other Nigerian satellites that were built by other countries.[242][243]464 In 2021, Nigeria hosts about 60 percent of the pharmaceutical production capacity in Africa,[244] the larger pharmaceutical companies are located in Lagos.[245]465 The pharmaceutical producer with the most employees in Nigeria is Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.[246] Nigeria has a few electronic manufacturers like Zinox, the first branded Nigerian computer, and manufacturers of electronic gadgets such as tablet PCs.[247]466 As of January 2022, Nigeria is the host to 5 out of the 7 unicorn companies in Africa.[248]467

Internet and telecommunications

Main article: Telecommunications in Nigeria

The Nigerian telecommunications market is one of the fastest-growing in the world, with major emerging market operators (like MTN, 9mobile, Airtel and Globacom) basing their largest and most profitable centres in the country.[249]468 Nigeria's ICT sector has experienced much growth, representing 10% of the nation's GDP in 2018 as compared to just 1% in 2001.[250]469 Lagos is regarded as one of the largest technology hubs in Africa with its thriving tech ecosystem.[251]470 According to a survey by the GSM Association, 92% of adult Nigerian men and 88% of women owned a mobile phone.[252]471 Using various measures including but not limited to illegal arrest, taking down of websites, passport seizures, and restricted access to bank accounts, the Nigerian government is punishing citizens for expressing themselves on the internet and working to stifle internet freedom.[253]472

Tourism

Main article: Tourism in Nigeria

Tourism in Nigeria centres largely on events, because of the country's ample amount of ethnic groups, but also includes rain forests, savannahs, waterfalls, and other natural attractions.[254]473 Abuja is home to several parks and green areas.474 The largest, Millennium Park, was designed by architect Manfredi Nicoletti and officially opened in December 2003.475 After the re-modernisation project achieved by the administration of Governor Raji Babatunde Fashola, Lagos is gradually becoming a major tourist destination.476 Lagos is currently taking steps to become a global city.477 The 2009 Eyo carnival (a yearly festival originating from Iperu Remo, Ogun State) was a step toward world city status.478 Currently, Lagos is primarily known as a business-oriented and fast-paced community.[255]479 Lagos has become an important location for African and black cultural identity.[256]480

Lagos has sandy beaches by the Atlantic Ocean, including Elegushi Beach and Alpha Beach.481 Lagos also has many private beach resorts including Inagbe Grand Beach Resort and several others in the outskirts.482 Lagos has a variety of hotels ranging from three-star to five-star hotels, with a mixture of local hotels such as Eko Hotels and Suites, Federal Palace Hotel and franchises of multinational chains such as Intercontinental Hotel, Sheraton, and Four Points by Sheraton.483 Other places of interest include the Tafawa Balewa Square, Festac town, The Nike Art Gallery, Freedom Park, and the Cathedral Church of Christ.484

Transport

Main article: Transport in Nigeria

Due to Nigeria's location in the centre of West Africa, transport plays a major role in the national service sector.485 Government investments have seen an increase in extensive road repairs and new construction has been carried out gradually as states in particular spend their share of increased government allocations.486 Representative of these improvements is the Second Niger Bridge near Onitsha, which was largely completed in 2022.[257]487 A 2017 World Bank report on logistics hubs in Africa placed the country in fourth place, behind Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, and Sao Tome,[258] but in 2021, Nigeria joined the World Logistics Passport, a private sector group working to increase the efficiency of global trade.[259]488

Roads

Main article: Roads in Nigeria

Four trans-African automobile routes pass through Nigeria:489

• Lagos-Mombasa Highway490
• Algiers-Lagos Highway491
• Dakar-Lagos Highway492
• Dakar-Ndjamena Highway493

Nigeria has the largest road network in West Africa.494 It covers about 200,000 km, of which 60,000 km are asphalted.495 Nigeria's roads and highways handle 90% of all passenger and freight traffic.496 It contributes N2.4trn ($6.4bn) to GDP in 2020.497 The federal government is responsible for 35,000 km of the road network.498 The motorway links of important economic centres such as Lagos-Ibadan, Lagos-Badagry and Enugu-Onitsha have been renovated.[260]499

The rest of the road network is a state matter and therefore in very different shape, depending on the state.500 Economically strong states such as Lagos, Anambra and Rivers receive particularly poor evaluations.[261]501 Most roads were built in the 1980s and early 1990s.502 Poor maintenance and inferior materials have worsened the condition of the roads.503 Travelling is very difficult.504 Especially during the rainy season, the use of secondary roads is sometimes almost impossible due to potholes.[262]505 Road bandits often take advantage of this situation for their criminal purposes.[263][264]506

Rail transport

Main article: Rail transport in Nigeria

Railways have undergone a massive revamping with projects such as the Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge Railway being completed connecting cities of Kano, Kaduna, Abuja corpus, Ibadan and Lagos.507 Lagos Rail Mass Transit controls transport in Lagos with two currently operating services: the Red Line and the Blue Line.508 Abuja Light Rail controls rail services in Abuja and currently has one operating service, the Blue Line.509

Air transport

Main article: List of airports in Nigeria

The Nigerian aviation industry generated 198.62 billion naira (€400 million) in 2019, representing a contribution of 0.14% to GDP.510 It was the fastest-growing sector of the Nigerian economy in 2019.511 Passenger traffic increased from 9,358,166 in 2020 to 15,886,955 in 2021, a significant increase of over 69%.512 Aircraft movements increased by more than 46% from 2020 to 2021.513 Total freight volumes were 191 tonnes in 2020 but increased to 391 tonnes in 2021.[265]514 In December 2021, the Anambra International Cargo Airport started its operation.[266]515 In April 2022, the second terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport has been inaugurated.516 It will increase the capacity of the airport to 14 million passengers per year.[267]517

There are 54 airports in Nigeria, The principal airports are:[268]518