NIGERIAN INVESTORS DRIVE ₦15.06TN NGX TRADING AS FOREIGN PARTICIPATION DECLINES TO 10.26%

Nigerian investors drove most of the trading on the Nigerian Exchange in the first nine months of 2026, as foreign participation declined.

Total equity transactions reached ₦15.06 trillion between January and September, according to the NGX report on domestic and foreign portfolio participation.

Domestic investors accounted for 89.74 per cent of trading, up from 78.44 per cent in the same period of 2025. Foreign investors’ share fell from 21.56 per cent to 10.26 per cent.

The value of transactions by Nigerian retail and institutional investors rose to ₦13.52 trillion, roughly double the ₦6.69 trillion recorded a year earlier.

Foreign transactions moved in the opposite direction, falling by 16.01 per cent to ₦1.55 trillion from ₦1.84 trillion.

The figures show that local capital accounted for the bulk of market activity, with domestic investors increasing their participation while overseas trading weakened.

Capital market analysts linked part of the rise in institutional activity to the National Pension Commission’s decision to raise pension funds’ equity investment limits in February 2026.

The change gave pension fund managers greater room to invest in shares, potentially supporting stronger local participation.

The transaction figures measure buying and selling activity on the exchange; they do not represent fresh investment inflows alone.