When the World Bank raised Nigeria’s 2026 growth projection to 4.4 percent, it offered something the country has been short of in recent years: cautious optimism backed by data. After a prolonged period of macroeconomic stress marked by currency volatility, inflation spikes and weak investor confidence, an upward revision matters. It signals that reforms, however painful, are beginning to stabilise the economy. But growth numbers alone do not tell the full story.