Global Journal of Economic and Finance Research

This study examines the role of Nigeria’s real sector in national economic development, employing a descriptive survey design. Drawing on responses from 100 stakeholders across agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and services, the research explores key perceptions of the sector’s impact on GDP, employment, poverty alleviation, and government revenue. Both descriptive and inferential statistics, including chi-square tests, were applied to validate findings. Results show that most respondents perceive the real sector as a fundamental driver of economic growth, with statistically significant agreement on its contributions to development. Nevertheless, challenges such as limited access to finance, inadequately skilled labour, weak policy implementation, and underutilised export opportunities persist. The study concludes that unlocking the full potential of the real sector requires comprehensive reforms in financial access, policy enforcement, technical skills training, and infrastructure investment. Recommendations are made to guide stakeholders and policymakers toward strategies that can revitalise the sector and foster sustainable economic transformation in Nigeria.

Real sector, economic development, Nigeria, GDP, employment, access to finance, government policy, infrastructure, poverty reduction, public-private partnership.

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