Foreign Direct Investment and the Nigerian Economy: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract

The primary motive of this paper was to investigate the impact of Foreign Direct Investment on economic growth of Nigeria from 1985 to 2022. Ex – post facto research design was carefully carried out; annual time series data were extracted from Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin of 2021 and World Development Indicator. Real Gross Domestic Product (RGDP) was used as the dependent variable proxy for economic growth. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Exchange Rate (EXCR), Trade Openness (TOPN) and Inflation (INF) all denoted for explanatory variables of the study. The estimated coefficients of the variables under study displayed that all the variables are integrated of the same order 1(1) exception of Foreign Direct Investment which was integrated of order 1(0). The bound test conducted showed that there is proof of the presence of a long run correlation among the variables used while the causality test clearly showed that FDI granger causes economic growth in Nigeria under review. Other diagnostic tests seen in this paper are unit root test, descriptive statistics, correlation coefficient matrix, Cointegration test and test of Normality respectively, and they long-established the validity and reliability of the model used. Based on the inferential results revealed by the research work, the paper came up with recommendation that government should improve the investment climate for both domestic and foreign investors through adequate infrastructural development, soft loans and tax holidays.