Nigeria’s fastest growth in five years faces job creation test

Nigeria’s economy grew at its quickest pace in five years, but the composition of the expansion raises questions about whether the recovery can generate enough productive jobs to match the country’s rapidly rising workforce. Real gross domestic product in Africa’s most populous nation expanded 4.43 percent in the second quarter of 2026, accelerating from 4.23 percent a year earlier and 3.89 percent in the first quarter, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. But the sectors driving the recovery are not job-rich, piling worries for households who are battling still sky-high inflation and weakening purchasing power. Services, the largest part of the economy, accounted for 56.62 percent of real GDP and grew 4.60 percent in the quarter, up from 3.94 percent a year earlier.