Nigeria has emerged as Africa’s highest-ranked economy on the economic performance pillar of the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) World Competitiveness Ranking 2026, outperforming South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Botswana and Namibia in that category
The report awarded Nigeria 45.2 points, placing it 55th globally in economic performance and making it the best-performing African economy among the six countries assessed. South Africa followed with 36.27 points and ranked 64th globally, while Ghana placed third in Africa with 34.6 points, ranking 65th worldwide
However, the broader competitiveness rankings paint a different picture. Across the IMD’s four pillars, economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure, Nigeria ranked 68th out of 70 economies, dropping one place from its 2025 position. Among the African countries assessed, South Africa ranked 54th, Kenya 55th, Ghana 64th, Botswana 66th, Nigeria 68th and Namibia 69th
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The report showed Nigeria’s overall competitiveness score stood at 38.8. Government efficiency declined from 50th to 53rd, while business efficiency fell from 59th to 63rd. Infrastructure remained the country’s weakest area, with Nigeria ranking 70th globally
According to the IMD, insecurity, insurgency and banditry, particularly in Nigeria’s agricultural belt, continue to undermine productivity and competitiveness. The report also cited unreliable electricity supply, transport bottlenecks, macroeconomic instability, inflation, weak public institutions, corruption and low human capital development as key constraints on economic growth
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Despite these challenges, Nigeria recorded notable strengths in some areas of government efficiency, ranking 16th in public finance and 15th in tax policy, reflecting gains from ongoing fiscal reforms
Globally, Singapore retained the top spot in the 2026 IMD World Competitiveness Ranking, followed by Hong Kong SAR, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates
The IMD report concludes that while Nigeria leads Africa in economic performance, sustained reforms in infrastructure, governance, security and the business environment remain critical to improving its overall global competitiveness
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