Nigeria’s economy is entering a post-reform stabilization phase in 2026, with inflation expected to moderate at 12.94%, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) 2026 economic forecast.
The nation’s 2026 GDP growth hovers around 4-5% according to the CBN, World Bank, and the IMF economic outlook forecast for Nigeria.
Nigeria’s indigenous investors and their foreign counterparts are eyeing asset classes that balance yields, high Return on Investments (ROI) against persistent risks like currency volatility and policy shifts.
Drawing from the local and global market analyses for the country and recent performance data, here are five key asset classes poised for attention this year, amid a landscape shaped by banking recapitalization, infrastructure push, and diversification efforts.
First, equities on the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) stand out for their growth potential, following a strong 2025 where the All-Share Index surged by 51.19%, one of the most significant growths recorded by a stock exchange market in Africa, and also in the world last year.
The NGX has continued to soar this year, with the market capitalization exceeding N100 trillion for the first time, and according to the CBN 2026 economic forecasts, the NGX will run on a bullish trend.
Analysts have projected the NGX to scale over N200 trillion by the end of the year.
Bismarck Rewane, MD of Financial Derivatives Company, projected that the total capital market capitalization could grow by 190%, moving from approximately N91 trillion in 2025 to N262 trillion by 2026.
Second, government securities, including treasury bills and bonds, offer low-risk anchors with yields of 18-22% for T-bills. These federal government securities are tax-free and fully backed by the federal government.
Interested investors should reach out to their Banks, like First Bank, GT Bank, UBA, among others, on how to purchase the government securities investments like the Treasury Bills and the FGN Bonds.
Third, real estate continues to draw interest for its 20-30% annual appreciation in urban hubs like Lagos and Abuja, bolstered by projects such as the Lekki Deep Sea Port.
Rental yields in high-demand areas reach 25-35%, but illiquidity and high entry costs often exceeding 5 million naira limit accessibility.
The nation’s real sector ecosysytem continue to blossom as Nigeria continues to bridge the housing deficit challenges especially in the urban and semi-urban areas.
With the ongoing government efforts like the renewed housing project, the private-sector-led efforts, the need to provide housing for over 200 million people residents in Nigeria depicts that the real-sector space is one of the top classes for investors to watch in 2026.
Fourth, agricultural assets, including value-added processing in crops like cassava and soybeans, benefit from 2.3 trillion naira in budgetary allocations and export incentives under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
With food inflation easing due to the federal government’s food importation policy that has impeded the growth of the Nigerian agro-sector, as expected, although food demands continue to rise, investments here could yield steady compounding.
The major risks in the Nigerian Agricultural sector includes dearth of data, insecurities, especially in the rural areas and major farming communities, inadequate processing and storage facilities, improved viable seeds and breeds of livestock, weather and climatic conditions, and supply chain risks persist.
The listed NGX Agricultural companies, like Presco and Okomu Oil, have continued to show through their robust financial results that the Nigerian agricultural sector is still an untapped goldmine for investors to plug into.
They have shown that through their financial earnings and growth potential.
