APC Unveils Roadmap To $1tn Economy By 2030

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has unveiled an economic roadmap aimed at transforming Nigeria into a $1 trillion economy by 2030, anchored on infrastructure, industrialisation, energy, human capital development and increased trade.

The National Chairman of the party, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, disclosed this on Monday while representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Special Guest of Honour at the second edition of the Asiwaju Scorecard Series/Asiwaju Policy Roundtable organised by the APC Professional Forum.

Yilwatda said the administration inherited an economy burdened by fuel subsidy distortions, multiple foreign exchange windows, weak revenue mobilisation, foreign exchange shortages, rising debt-service obligations and years of inadequate infrastructure investment.

He said the removal of fuel subsidy and foreign exchange reforms were difficult but necessary measures to reposition the economy.

According to him, recent economic indicators show that the foundation for growth is strengthening, citing external reserves of about $52.7 billion as of August 2026, consolidated non-oil revenue of N16.4 trillion in the first two quarters of 2026, real GDP growth of 4.43 per cent in the second quarter and a decline in inflation to about 15.4 per cent.

“These figures do not mean that our economic challenges have disappeared, but they demonstrate that the direction of travel has changed,” he said.

Yilwatda stressed that macroeconomic stability was only the foundation, insisting that the ultimate measure of the administration’s policies would be improvements in Nigerians’ living standards.

“The ultimate test is when stability translates into cheaper food, more jobs, affordable credit, reliable electricity and greater purchasing power for Nigerians,” he said.

The APC chairman proposed an integrated five-port maritime and logistics corridor linking major deep-sea ports in Lagos, Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Cross River through modern rail and road networks.

He said the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Super Highway could serve as the principal coastal road spine, while rail and road corridors would connect the ports to production centres, markets and neighbouring countries.

He identified the Lagos-Abuja-Kaduna-Kano rail corridor and the proposed Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway as key components of the Western Corridor, while the Port Harcourt-Abuja-Kaduna-Kano rail corridor and proposed Calabar-Maiduguri Trans-Sahara Super Highway would strengthen the Eastern Corridor.

According to him, the network could eventually connect Nigeria’s maritime gateways with landlocked markets in Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, Sudan and the Central African Republic.

“This is how Nigeria can move beyond being simply a coastal trading nation to becoming the maritime gateway and logistics hub of West and Central Africa,” he said.

Yilwatda described the infrastructure plan as “a trade architecture”, saying it would create opportunities in logistics, warehousing, manufacturing, banking, insurance, agro-processing and distribution.

He called for industrial parks, export-processing zones, logistics parks and agro-processing clusters to be established along the corridors.