Foreign Investor Participation in Nigerian Stocks Drops to 4.89%

In August 2026, foreign investors accounted for just 4.89% of equity transactions on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), marking the lowest monthly participation share recorded this year. Foreign trading declined to N62.03 billion, a 53.23% drop from N132.62 billion in July.

Total equity transactions fell 46.38% to N1.27 trillion from N2.37 trillion in July, although August's turnover was still 39.75% higher than the N908.4 billion recorded in August 2025. Domestic investors dominated the market, accounting for approximately N1.21 trillion in transactions, nearly 19 times the value attributed to foreign investors.

The decline in foreign participation has been significant since reaching a peak of 16.56% in March 2026. Domestic investors represented about 89.77% of equity turnover in the first eight months of 2026, compared to 78.99% in the same period of 2025.

The slowdown in August was primarily driven by domestic institutional investors.