By Yahaya Umar
Stanbic IBTC Purchasing Managers’ Index ,PMI, for April 2026 stood at 52.4 points compared with the 51.9 points recorded in March 2026, a statement from the lender yesterday revealed.
Though the Nigerian private sector remained in growth territory, it was stunted by higher fuel costs because of the war in Iran, triggered by the United States and Israel, which led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The rising fuel prices have limited expansions in new orders and business activity.
Companies took on extra staff in April in response to rising workloads, but the rate of job creation was only marginal and the softest in three months. Some organisations reported that staff shortages had been behind the latest accumulation of backlogs of work, while others cited customer payment delays and issues securing raw materials. Outstanding business increased for the third consecutive month in April.
Further efforts were made to secure materials, with purchasing activity increasing for the seventeenth month running in April. Stocks of purchases also rose amid improving customer demand, and at a marked pace that was the sharpest in five months. When companies placed orders for materials, they often made sure to pay on time in order to secure deliveries. As a result, supplier lead times shortened again, albeit to the least extent in 2026 so far.
“The health of Nigeria’s private sector improved in April remaining above the 50-point growth threshold for the third consecutive month as new orders increased in line with higher customer numbers and rising demand even as price pressures remain prevalent.
“Accordingly, the headline PMI increased to 52.4 points in April from 51.9 points seen in March”, the Head of Equity Research West Africa at Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr Muyiwa Oni, commented.
He further said, “Despite the improvement in new orders, we understand that lingering inflationary pressures limited the pace of expansion.
“Notably, companies increased their selling prices in April to the highest level since December 2024 in response to rising fuel and raw material costs. Staff costs also increased modestly as some companies increased their staff pay so as to help them with increasing transportation fares.
“Business expectations also improved in April compared to March as businesses plan to expand their operations through the opening of new branches, stock building, and entry into new markets”.
“The improved start of the second quarter of the year by Nigerian businesses continues to support our view of improved growth expectations in 2026 relative to 2025.
“Hence, we still maintain our expectation that the Nigerian economy is likely to grow by 4.22% y/y in 2026, from 3.87% y/y in 2025.
“We estimate the non-oil sector’s growth at 4.24% y/y in 2026, from 3.71% y/y in 2025, likely driven primarily by services, which we see growing by 5.64% y/y in 2026 ,vs 2025: 4.14%y/y.
“The government’s continuous investment attraction across oil & gas, solid minerals, electricity, agriculture and general manufacturing should continue to support sentiment on production activity.
“However, the oil sector’s growth is likely to moderate to 3.01% y/y ,vs 2025: 8.50% y/y, as we now expect crude oil production including condensates to average 1.70m bpd, from 1.64m bpd in 2025″,he added.
Related