ABUJA — Public policy think tank the Independent Media and Policy Initiative (IMPI) has challenged all presidential candidates contesting Nigeria’s 2027 general elections to commit to growing the national economy to $1 trillion by 2031.
In a formal policy brief signed by its chairman, Dr. Niyi Akinsiju, the group argued that reaching a $1 trillion Gross Domestic Product (GDP) must serve as the uncompromised headline benchmark for any credible governance plan. According to IMPI, scaling the economy to this level is a practical prerequisite to ending multidimensional poverty, attracting foreign capital, and creating millions of high-yielding jobs for Nigeria’s expanding demographic base. The group highlighted that a $1 trillion economy would automatically elevate Nigeria into an investment-grade sovereign rating. This status, IMPI stated, would eliminate the “high-risk” penalty associated with foreign capital inflows, allowing the country to tap into global pension funds and sovereign wealth assets for major domestic infrastructure without expanding public debt.
IMPI also stressed that reaching the trillion-dollar target requires moving beyond retail trade and raw oil extraction through deep-water industrialization. The policy brief outlined key proposals, including: Activating deep-water port corridors, establishing agro-processing hubs across Northern states, expanding urban digital technology hubs in the South, the group argued that these structural shifts would transition over 50% of the informal workforce into formal, tax-compliant, and secure employment.
Highlighting recent macroeconomic trends, IMPI noted that foundational reforms under President Bola Tinubu—including fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange unification—have cleared a runway for national growth. The think tank cited real GDP growth reaching 4.43% in the second quarter of 2026, driven primarily by non-oil activity, alongside gross external reserves rising to $54.08 billion.”By our analysis, no alternative candidates can claim that a $1 trillion economy is an unrealistic arithmetic problem,” IMPI stated, asserting that the current policy frameworks prove growth is now organically generated rather than tied to volatile crude oil prices. Calling for a shift in political discourse ahead of 2027, the policy group urged voters and the media to reject vague campaign rhetoric. It demanded that opposition candidates publish explicit, numbers-driven Sectoral Capital Allocation Models detailing how they intend to achieve or outpace the $1 trillion target. ”The national economic debate cannot be won by opposition to hardship alone; a superior vision for prosperity must win it,” the group concluded.
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