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Nigeria‘s Manufacturing Sector Shows Modest Growth in Q3 2025

Nigeria’s manufacturing sector generated N9.16tn in nominal terms in the third quarter of 2025, but industry leaders say the growth remains too weak to support broad economic progress. The latest GDP report from the National Bureau of Statistics shows the sector recorded a 1.25 per cent growth rate, which the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria described as slow and far below what is needed to drive real industrial expansion.

manufacturing Revenue and Subsectors

The NBS figures show that manufacturing’s nominal contribution rose by 3.45 per cent, up from N8.85tn recorded in the third quarter of 2024. Manufacturing in Nigeria covers 13 subsectors, including:

• Food and Beverages
• Cement
• Basic Metals
• Plastics
• Textiles
• Oil Refining

Industry Concerns: Growth is Insufficient

Speaking with the source, the director-General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, said the overall GDP growth of 3.98 per cent for the period “does not reflect transformative expansion.” According to him, manufacturing is too weak to anchor inclusive and sustainable progress.

“An aggregate growth of 3.98 per cent is not transformative. Manufacturing, which is supposed to be the engine that drives mass employment and inclusive prosperity, remains largely sluggish. The sector grew by only 1.25 per cent in Q3 2025 from 0.76 per cent in Q3 2024. Growth without productive capacity is sub-optimal and lacks inclusivity.” – Segun Ajayi-Kadir, Director-General, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria

quarter-on-Quarter Decline

A quarter-on-quarter comparison also showed that the sector’s real growth rate declined by 0.35 percentage points, falling from 1.60 per cent in Q2 2025. Ajayi-Kadir noted that this drop further highlights the weakness in the sector.

Key Takeaways

• Manufacturing generated N9.16tn in Q3 2025, a 3.45% increase year-over-year.
• The sector’s growth rate of 1.25% is considered too slow for important economic impact.
• Industry leaders express concern that GDP growth doesn’t translate to productive capacity.
• Real growth rate declined by 0.35 percentage points compared to Q2 2025.