After Nigeria finally announced its rebased GDP calculations, the economy grew by 89% to US$ 509 billion, far more than expected. Nigeria is now the largest economy in Africa as it has overtaken South Africa’s US$ 345 billion economy.

Nigeria’s GDP rebase enhances Africa’s attractiveness as a place that holds significant opportunity because of its size, not just because of its growth rate. There are 24 other African markets planning to recalculate their GDP by 2016. As a result, we expect the overall economy of Sub-Saharan Africa to soon be much larger than currently assumed.

FSG’s report on what the GDP rebase means for your business remains relevant:

• Brace for increasing competition: Nigeria is now more attractive in every financial and economic model worldwide, luring companies to invest locally. The size of Nigeria’s economy is now larger than that of Poland, Thailand, and the UAE.
• Recalculate your targets: As the composition of the Nigerian economy has changed, some sectors are now much larger or smaller than previously assumed, altering the addressable opportunity for different industries. Efforts to make the case for additional resources will become easier in sectors that are larger than previously estimated, such as business services.
• Prepare for rising government spending: The Nigerian government is expected to increase spending as the GDP rebase improved its ability to borrow on global financial markets. Public spending will focus on education, healthcare, transportation, housing, and infrastructure.

The operating environment will be negatively affected this year by heightened volatility in light of upcoming elections in 2015. However, the GDP rebase highlights why it’s important to stay focused on the country’s long-term opportunity.