Nigeria’s public debt reaches ₦166.79 trillion as government seeks further financing

The debt figure includes ₦91.59 trillion in domestic debt, with the remainder made up of Nigeria’s external obligations.

The development comes as the government continues to work with the World Bank on financing for a number of programmes covering areas such as climate resilience, social protection and early-childhood development.

One of the programmes linked to the financing discussions is the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes, ACReSAL, which is aimed at strengthening resilience to climate-related challenges in Nigeria’s semi-arid areas.

However, the status of individual World Bank financing proposals needs to be distinguished from loans that have already been approved.

Current World Bank data show that Nigeria had projects approved in 2026, including 500 million dollars for the Nigeria Sustainable Agricultural Value-Chains for Growth, or AGROW, project, approved in March, and financing of 500 million and 750 million dollars under the Nigeria Actions for Investment and Jobs Acceleration project, approved in June.

The World Bank's records also show that some approved financing remains undisbursed, meaning approval of a loan does not necessarily mean that the full amount has already been released to Nigeria.

Nigeria's growing debt burden remains an important issue in discussions about the country's public finances, particularly as the government seeks funding for infrastructure, social programmes and economic development.

The World Bank maintains a quarterly public-sector debt database covering government and public-sector borrowing, while Nigeria's debt statistics are also monitored through official national debt-management institutions.

As the government pursues additional financing, attention is expected to remain on how new borrowing is approved, disbursed and used, as well as its implications for Nigeria's overall debt position.