The Federal Government has set an ambitious goal to increase the manufacturing sector’s contribution to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to between 20 per cent and 25 per cent by 2030, authorities said, as part of the imminent Nigerian Industrial Policy aimed at revitalising industrial growth.
The announcement was made in Abuja on February 2, 2026.
Available data show that Nigeria’s manufacturing sector has struggled in recent decades. Its share of real GDP, once above 20 per cent in the early 1990s, declined to below 9 per cent in 2024 and averaged about 8.35 per cent in the first nine months of 2025, underlining structural challenges that policymakers seek to address.
In a statement accompanying the policy announcement, government officials said the target reflects a renewed push to reposition manufacturing as a key driver of economic growth, jobs creation, and export expansion.
The Nigerian Industrial Policy, expected to be launched imminently, is designed to create an enabling environment for manufacturing investment, boost productive capacity, and address longstanding constraints to industrial growth.
The plan acknowledges that Nigeria’s manufacturing base has faced persistent obstacles, including limited infrastructure, frequent power outages, high cost of credit, and logistics bottlenecks that have dampened competitiveness.
Strengthening manufacturing is seen as central to diversifying Nigeria’s economy away from oil dependence and scaling up domestic value addition.
Under the policy framework, the government intends to support expansion of industrial clusters, facilitate access to finance, improve industrial infrastructure, and promote policies that enhance productivity and export readiness.
Sector stakeholders have emphasised the need for stable power supply, affordable financing, and streamlined regulations to unlock growth potential.
The announcement comes amid broader efforts to stimulate non-oil sectors and boost economic resilience. Recent projections by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) suggest that manufacturing and agriculture could see strengthened growth in 2026 and beyond if investment, infrastructure, and policy support are significantly enhanced.
Achieving the targeted contribution by 2030 would mark a significant reversal of decades-long decline in manufacturing’s share of economic output and could contribute to broader national goals on employment, export expansion, and inclusive growth.
Analysts say sustained policy implementation and private-sector engagement will be essential to translating the targets into measurable sectoral performance.
Nigeria’s manufacturing sector has remained a focus of economic planning given its potential to drive industrialisation, strengthen local supply chains, and support sustainable development if structural constraints are effectively addressed.
