Nigerian naira strengthened to a record high of about ₦1,400 to the US dollar at the official market during midweek trading, continuing an appreciation trend seen since the start of the week.
FX
Data released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showed that the currency appreciated by 1.26 per cent on Tuesday, January 27, at the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM), with the dollar quoted at ₦1,401.22. This represented a gain of ₦17.73 compared with the ₦1,418.95 recorded on Monday, January 26.
The naira had already posted significant gains in the previous session, closing at around ₦1,401.20 per dollar, its strongest level since the introduction of the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System (EFEMS).
The currency has recorded incremental daily gains in recent sessions, rising between 0.1 per cent and 0.36 per cent on some trading days. In the parallel market, bureau de change operators in Lagos quoted the dollar between ₦1,475 and ₦1,490 on January 27, with average buying and selling rates of ₦1,480 and ₦1,490 respectively.
Market analysts attribute the improved performance at the parallel market to enhanced foreign exchange liquidity and further regulatory reforms implemented by the CBN.
The naira has sustained its upward momentum into early 2026, building on the gains recorded in 2025, when it posted its strongest performance in over a decade, appreciating between 7 and 9 per cent against the US dollar.
Analysts generally expect the currency to remain within a relatively stable range in the medium term, with several projections indicating it will trade between ₦1,400 and ₦1,500 to the dollar this year, supported by improved liquidity and ongoing macroeconomic reforms.
The Nigerian Economic Summit Group has projected that the naira will trade at around ₦1,480 to the dollar in 2026. The group also expects Nigeria’s external reserves to rise steadily to about $52 billion, driven by the consolidation of recent reforms and sustained stabilisation efforts.
