Nigeria’s industrial sector recorded a slowdown in August 2025 as activities fell below the growth benchmark, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) report.
The Industry PMI stood at 49.1 index points, indicating contraction in production, new orders, employment, and raw material inventories.
Out of 17 subsectors assessed, 10 declined, while 7 recorded some level of growth.
Transportation equipment performed best among the expanding subsectors, while paper products experienced the steepest drop.
Despite the industrial slowdown, the wider economy maintained growth momentum.
The CBN noted that overall economic activity stood at 51.7 index points, reflecting expansion for the ninth consecutive month.
This was supported by steady growth in both services and agriculture.
The services sector posted 51.9 index points, marking its seventh month of expansion, with 10 out of 14 subsectors recording improvements.
Agriculture remained robust, reaching 53.9 index points and sustaining growth for the thirteenth straight month across all subsectors.
The report also showed that the industry sector faced higher input costs relative to output prices, creating the widest cost gap among the three sectors, while services recorded the lowest margin.
Overall, the August data showed resilience in the Nigerian economy, with agriculture and services cushioning the effect of weaker industrial activities. The CBN said this trend supports a positive outlook for the third quarter of 2025.