Privatization and Foreign Investments in Nigeria

Nigeria\u27s political economy has straddled the ideological divide between socialism and capitalism. The country produces oil,and at some point in its existence, it embarked on robust state involvement in the economy. This was marked by the acquisition, or establishment, of numerous state enterprises. Over the years, the performance of these enterprises was found to be dismal, and as part of the overall reform of the economy, Nigeria has joined the global trend toward reduction indirect state ownership of enterprises. Indeed, it has embarked on massive divestment of state interests in once publicly owned firms. Besides the universal rationale of efficiency, one of the objectives of the privatization exercise in Nigeria is the attraction and retention of foreign investments. This work examines the direct and indirect linkage between the government\u27s divestiture of its interests in firms, on the one hand, and foreign investments in the country ,on the other hand