Policy think tank, the Independent Media and Policy Initiative (IMPI), has stated that the economic framework introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration is expected to boost the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 2026 onwards.
In a policy statement signed by its Chairman, Dr Omoniyi Akinsiju, IMPI projected that the economy would reach 5.5 per cent in 2026, higher than the forecasts of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

It attributed this optimistic outlook to a combination of far-reaching structural reforms, fiscal discipline and policy realignments being implemented by the current administration.

According to the think tank, ongoing measures in areas such as subsidy reform, exchange rate management, public finance restructuring, and private-sector-led growth are gradually laying a stronger foundation for sustainable economic expansion. It noted that while the reforms have come with short-term adjustments, their long-term impact is expected to strengthen productivity, improve investor confidence and unlock new growth opportunities across key sectors of the economy.

The policy group further argued that the projected 5.5 per cent growth rate reflects anticipated benefits from improved macroeconomic stability, increased domestic and foreign investment, and a more efficient allocation of resources. IMPI maintained that these gains could place Nigeria on a firmer growth trajectory than current global projections suggest, provided reform momentum is sustained and complementary policies are pursued. It added that stronger growth outcomes would have positive spillover effects on employment, government revenue and overall economic resilience in the years ahead.

It said: “We made it clear in that statement that the Nigerian economy under the current administration had engendered a paradigm shift from perennial dependency on crude oil earnings to policy-driven economic facilitation.
“This refers to the deliberate use of governmental policies, regulations, and institutional frameworks to reduce obstacles, lower costs, and speed up economic activities, particularly in trade and investment.

“The facilitation, in this context, aims to foster sustainable, inclusive growth by improving efficiency and reducing red tape.
“Seven months after that questionable projection by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), we have seen a volte-face. In an epiphany-like realisation, the IMF now speaks of a resurgent Nigerian economy as reflected in the global multilateral institution’s revised Nigerian economic outlook to a projected 4.4 per cent economic growth for 2026.
“This is the highest GDP growth projection by IMF over the last 17 years, a real expression of confidence in the Nigerian economy.”

The think tank also cited the general consensus on Nigeria’s growth prospects, which it attributed to the economic model adopted by the President Bola Tinubu administration.

“Beyond the IMF’s new GDP projection, we have observed a consensus around a higher than 4 per cent economic growth performance expectation of the Nigerian economy by virtually all known individual and public economic commentators.

“While the Nigerian Government projected 4.68 per cent growth in 2026, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) projected a massive 7 per cent, 1.5 per cent higher than the Nigeria Economic Summit Group’s 5.5 per cent for the year.
“PwC sustained the conservative threshold by projecting a 4.3 per cent growth conditioned on higher oil price while the World Bank also revised its earlier 3.7 per cent projection to 4.4 per cent.

“The agglomeration of these positive economic growth outlooks by domestic and global institutional players points to an emerging economic paradigm that emphasises increased production and productivity momentum, foreign exchange stability, disinflation, galvanised foreign direct investment and inflow, and unobtrusive regulatory environment, anchored in policy-driven economic facilitation,” it added.