Business
UN Report Paints Blissful Picture Of Nigeria’s Economy -Economist
A United Nations (UN) report released recently on Nigeria’s Common Country Analysis (CCA), has revealed a deeply alienated society based on the plurality of ethnic, religious and regional identities that had tended to label the country’s political existence.
Fielding questions from journalist, in Port Harcourt, Saturday on the future of Nigeria and other issues, a renowned economist and teacher at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Dr. Catherine Ogubor stated that the report which was read during a consultative conference on the formulation of the UN Development Assistance Framework IV (UNDAF IV) for the South -East geo-political zone in Awka, Anambra State, observed that for decades, various segments of Nigeria’s population had at different times expressed feelings of marginalization, of being short changed, oppressed, threatened, dominated, or even targeted for elimination.
The report, according Ogubor, also painted a dismal picture, with most of the social indices and development in the country recording much below acceptable standards.
The report which read thus, “Nigeria, with a population of over 175 million, is the most populous in Africa and the seventh most populous in the world. Her population will be approximately 200 million by 2019 and over 400 million by 2030, becoming one of the top five most populous countries in the world.
“Nigeria is one of the poorest and most unequal countries in the world, with over 80 million or 64 per cent of her population living below poverty line. The situation has not changed over the decades, but increasing poverty and hunger have remained high in rural areas, remote communities and among female-headed households and these cut across the six geo-political zones, with prevalence ranging from approximately 46.9 per cent in the South-West to 74.3 per cent in the North-West and North-East.
“In Nigeria, 37 per cent of children under five years old were stunted, 18 per cent wasted, 29 per cent underweight and overall, only 10 per cent of children aged 6-23 months are fed approximately based on recommended infant and young children feeding practices. “Youth unemployment which is 42 per cent in 2016 is very high, creating poverty, helplessness and despair and easy target from crime and terrorism. Over 10 million children of school age were out of school with no knowledge and skill”, she said.
As she puts it, “Nigeria’s economy in the report is currently in a recession and it is estimated that government revenues have fallen by as much as 33 per cent, which has further political existence need to be proactively strengthen for enduring future.”
She, however, said that since independence in 1960, Nigeria has struggled to build and sustain national integration, stressing that the report equally recommended that transforming and diversifying Nigeria’s development paths needed a radical and new approach, especially by investing in people and in a viable state for prosperous economy for the country.
Ogubor also called on Nigerian leaders, politicians and other stakeholders to design and support the joint programmes of government and the United Nations to address good governance, peace and security in the country.
Cornerstone of Financial Services
A survey of more than 1 000 global finance leaders undertaken by digital payment network Ripple shows that 72% of respondents believe they need to offer a digital asset solution to remain competitive.
According to Ripple, leaders from the banking, fintech, corporate and asset management sector have made it clear that the “digital asset revolution is happening now”.
“Digital assets are quickly becoming a cornerstone of financial services, underpinned by progressive regulation, growing interest from Tier-1 banks, a steady consumer shift from banks to fintech providers, and booming stablecoin adoption,” Ripple says.
The survey was conducted in early 2026 and the findings released in March.
Stablecoin Boon or Bane?
Ripple has experienced significant success in the stablecoin sector since launching its Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin in 2024.
With a market cap of $1.56 billion, it is considered a major regulated player in the market.
No doubt the platform was pleased to learn through its own survey that financial leaders were most bullish about stablecoins.
Roughly three-quarters of respondents believed they could boost cash-flow efficiency and unlock trapped working capital.
Ripple noted that finance leaders were thinking about stablecoins as more than “just a new way to execute payments”; instead, they viewed them as effective tools for treasury management.
In March 2026, Ripple began testing a new trade finance model built around RLUSD in a bid to increase the speed of cross-border payments.
The pilot initiative, developed alongside supply chain finance company Unloq [https://unloq.com], is running on the XRP Ledger inside a testing framework developed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
The Asian city-state is one of the platform’s biggest growth markets.
The idea behind the project is to see whether stablecoin-based settlement can streamline trade finance, too often hampered by reliance on intermediaries and slow reconciliation.
The only potential drawback is that if the initiative takes off, the Ripple to USD price could be negatively affected.
Ripple has always championed its native XRP token as a bridge asset, the “middleman” in the process of a financial institution turning dollars in the US into pounds in the UK, for example.
Ripple converts dollars into XRP and then back into pounds.
If RLUSD can do exactly the same thing, questions will be asked about XRP’s relevance.
That is a bridge Ripple will have to cross if it gets to that point.
Tokenisation Partners
Another interesting finding from Ripple’s survey is that most banks and asset managers are seeking tokenisation partners to help execute their strategies.
Some 89% of respondents said digital asset storage and custody were top priority. “Token servicing/lifecycle management also ranks highly for banks at 82%, while asset managers place greater emphasis on primary distribution at 80%,” Ripple found.
The survey also revealed that just more than half of fintechs and financial institutions want an infrastructure provider that can offer a “one-stop-shop solution”. This rose to 71% among corporate financial leaders.
Ripple attributes this to institutions and firms wanting uncomplicated, cohesive systems.
Infrastructure Rules
In its final analysis, Ripple says companies across the board are looking for partners and solutions that are “secure, compliant, battle-tested and that enable growth and execution”.
“The message is clear: infrastructure decisions made today will shape competitive positioning tomorrow.”
No surprise that this is precisely where Ripple is placing much of its focus.
