Lagos: Nigeria’s pension assets rose to N29.43 trillion in Feb, an increase of N1.39 trillion from the previous month.
This is according to data released by the National Pension Commission (PenCom).
This figure marks the largest monthly growth seen since the launch of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) over two decades ago and exceeds the previous record increase of N1.18 trillion in January 2024.
PenCom reported total assets rose from N28.04 trillion in January, mainly due to fresh inflows and valuation gains, especially in equities.
In line with this trend, domestic equity investment climbed to N5.41 trillion, highlighting pension funds’ growing presence in the Nigerian stock market.
On the other hand, foreign equity exposure remained relatively low at N261.99 billion, reflecting fund managers’ cautious stance amid global economic uncertainties.
Additionally, a further breakdown indicated increased allocations to non-sovereign debt instruments, with corporate debt securities rising to N2.25 trillion and investments in state government bonds standing at N368.99 billion.
The data indicated sustained liquidity, with money market instruments reaching N2.74 trillion. Fixed deposits and bank acceptances made up N2.50 trillion, and commercial paper investments stood at N209.23 billion.
Meanwhile, investments in alternative asset classes remained modest; for example, infrastructure funds were valued at N300.02 billion, private equity at N258.31 billion, real estate at N169.52 billion, and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) at N77.64 billion.
On fund performance, RSA Fund IV retained its position as the largest contributor to overall asset growth, driven by its concentration of active contributors and reflected in total assets of N12.67 trillion.
Moreover, similarly, RSA Fund II also accounted for a significant share of total pension assets, reinforcing the dominance of these leading funds.
Finally, total Retirement Savings Account (RSA) membership rose to over 11.13 million as of February, indicating sustained growth in pension enrolment nationwide.
