Nigeria: Waiting to join the ranks of emerging nations

Nigeria has a landmass of almost one million square kilometres and a population of more than 150 million. The world’s sixth biggest oil producer, it builds observation satellites, boasts a large number of universities and research centres, and is second in global statistics for the number of fiction films made each year.  

The country’s economy is currently in the midst of the boom, despite experiencing a recent wobble. A number of foreign companies have already carved a niche for themselves in many different fields: the pharmaceutical industry, construction, telecommunications, oil production… Nigeria has up to now been largely off the tourist track, but it will probably not be long before people become enamoured by its charms. Local and foreign companies alike are already planning to invest in the tourism sector.

The successful holding of the last presidential election was acknowledged by both internal and external observers, and the newly-elected president is enjoying the widespread approval of the population, above all the young. This seems to have created an atmosphere of optimism in Nigeria, which was only a little dented by the recent attacks of an extremist group claiming to represent Islam. Prior to his election, Goodluck Jonathan had been temporary head of state and had managed to achieve more or less what he pledged, including the consolidation of peace in the Niger Delta, which for a long time had been the epicentre of violence - carried out particularly by young hoodlums - and oil pollution.  

The situation did obviously not augur well for tourism. Now, however, improvements in the Niger Delta region have provided the first rays of hope for the tourist industry, and both local and foreign investors alike are appearing. The region boasts blue lagoons and dream-like landscapes. Nigeria has in total 800 kilometres of sandy beaches, peaks approaching 2,500 metres, and 300 metre-high waterfalls, as well as national parks and a host of other attractions. Fortified cities dating back to ancient times are found in the north and are still ruled by emirs or sultans.

Economy gathers pace   

In the 1970s, Nigeria was ranked the 33rd richest country in the world, after which it experienced a slump that reduced it to the 26th poorest by the start of the current millennium. Since the restoration of democracy in 1999, however, and despite all of the handicaps, the economy has started to grow again at a dizzying pace, with a boom in sectors such as telecommunications and finance. Nigerian banks are increasingly found in many foreign countries, with branches as far away as America and Asia. Whilst still comparatively low, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per inhabitant doubled between 2003 and 2009, and oil income has allowed the country to clear the majority of its foreign debts, something rarely seen in the African continent. It is not a matter of whether Nigeria will once again join the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) group of emerging economies, but rather when.

The new capital, Abuja, is witness to the boom. To picture it, forget about all the clichés about African cities. The federal district spreads out over an area of more than 9,000 square kilometres, giving it the possibility to expand. The decision to construct Abuja was taken in 1977, and fourteen years later, it was ready to host central government. With its urban expressways, gigantic buildings and impressive shopping malls, it has the look of many North American cities. There are fast roads, such as the six or ten-lane highway that links the city with the airport, but the city has style and a cosmopolitan feel. By 2009, its population had grown to an estimated 1.5 million inhabitants compared to 350,000 just inhabitants in 2001.

Lagos: Mega-city

The former capital, Lagos, is a megacity of some 15 million inhabitants. Despite its shanty towns and the relative lack of security, it’s a fascinating place, full of charm and surprises.  It’s a hotbed of invention too: it is here that Nigeria’s lively music and film industry were born. The movers behind all this are mainly former pirates of foreign productions, who gave local artists a simple choice: work with us, or allow your work to be pirated. A number of the producers of pirate films and foreign recordings hence became the first film makers in Nollywood – a fictitious place referring to the Nigerian movie industry. Nollywood is now, after India, the world’s second biggest producer of films, with the United States relegated to third position - just one of the city’s many surprises.   

Another little-known fact is the high-level of scientific research carried out in this African nation. At the moment of going to press, Nigeriasat-2, preparations for the launch of the second satellite developed by Nigerian scientists were in progress at a Russian base. The Nigerian satellite is to operate in conjunction with the satellites of the major players in space research. Nigerian institutes are carrying out research in a wide range of disciplines, such as nanotechnology, nuclear power, solar energy and data processing, and the country also boasts a winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in Wole Soyinka.  

Nigeria is still an underdeveloped country. Power cuts are so frequent that every building, every home and every office resounds with the deafening noise of electricity generators, the mains water is just drinkable, and half of the population still lives below the poverty threshold. It is also one of the few countries where polio remains endemic. Nigeria’s own political classes themselves denounce problems of governance and corruption – above all the new president, who has vowed to combat these scourges – as well as the industry of the production and sale of pirated products, run by organized crime.  

The clean-up to which the new government is committed is eagerly anticipated as is the country’s membership of the BRICS.

Hegel Goutier