Investors Have to Weigh the Risks Carefully

Twice the size of California, the Federal Republic of Nigeria sits on the western coast of Africa. Its coast marks the link between upper and lower Africa. The country shares borders with Benin to the west, Chad and Cameroon to the east, and Niger to the north. An English speaking country, Nigeria’s population has tripled over the last 50 years, and it is now the world’s seventh most populous nation with 167 million people calling it home.

It’s a home with a tumultuous legacy, to say the least. Since gaining independence from England in 1960, the country has faced brutal civil war, violent military coups, and persistent sectarian violence among its many tribal groups. Uprisings and upheaval have been the order of the day, even as the nation has earned honors as one of the “Next Eleven,” a group of emerging economies set to dominate the 21st century. Still, with the installation of Goodluck Jonathan as president in 2010, Nigeria is settling down and hoping that its new stability will encourage large and small investors to take advantage of its potential.