Aliko Dangote, chairman of the Dangote Group, has predicted that the naira could strengthen to N1,100 per dollar in 2026, citing the impact of government policies and the countryâs industrial potential.
Dangote made the remarks on Tuesday during the launch of the National Industrial Policy 2025 by the federal government.
The naira has shown recent gains, trading at N1,335.95 per dollar in the official market and N1,380 per dollar on the black market as of Tuesday.
Commenting on the developments, Dangote highlighted Nigeriaâs capacity for industrial growth and increased disposable incomes. He said, âToday if you look at it, your excellency, I believe with the policies that you have implemented in government, people now have started seeing the result and manufacturers are very very happy. Today, the dollar is N1,340.
“Mr. Vice-President, I can assure you with what I know, blocking all this importation and co, naira this year will be as low as N1,100 if we are lucky.”
He added, âThe only thing is for maybe the government to stop the naira from getting stronger so that they will keep collecting more naira. But itâs a catch-22 situation where, now, if the naira gets stronger it means that everything will go down. Everything will go down because we are an import-based country which we shouldnât be. What you should do is to manufacture all the things that we need.â
His prediction aligns with optimism from other Nigerian business leaders. On February 12, Femi Otedola, chairman of First HoldCo, projected that the naira could trade below N1,000 per dollar by year-end as domestic refining capacity comes fully online.
Melissa Enoch
