the population of the US sometime before the year 2050 - which would put them third in

the world behind India and China. Experts expect to see major economic growth during

this time. So, how powerful is Nigeria?

Well, it’s more powerful than you may think. The nation has two major things going for

it - its massive population and its natural resources.

Nigeria is the most densely populated African country, with around 177 Million people in

2014. That’s nearly twice the number of people in Africa’s second most populous

country, Ethiopia. And the large population lends itself to a large military, which has

helped neighboring countries to promote peace in the region. The Economist notes that Nigeria’s

military is not well-trained, as of 2014, but that the government has recently decided

to invest 1 Billion dollars toward improvements. Many news agencies also report high levels

of corruption within Nigeria’s security forces, especially with money handling. As

it stands now, Nigeria’s military power is certainly formidable in the region, but

it’s not Africa’s strongest. It has yet to get a handle on internal terrorist groups,

like Boko Haram, which have killed more than a thousand people since December 2013, according

to the UN.

Natural resources also contribute to Nigeria's power. Oil deposits are abundant, and they

have made Nigeria the wealthiest country in Africa. Telecommunications, agriculture, and

a unique entertainment industry which rivals the output of Hollywood, also contribute to

the economy, which is growing at a rapid pace. The United States is Nigeria’s largest foreign

investor - and many more countries also want to financially partner with the nation. Nigeria

is attractive because of their oil wealth and because of it’s has a mostly-stable

democratic government. Nigeria offers a much desired and crucial diplomatic link between

western powers and Africa.

Internal violence and rampant poverty still challenge Nigeria, but its future looks promising.

An analyst from Moody’s Investors Service is confident that the nation will “number

among the  world’s 15 largest economies by 2050.”

To learn more about the increasing power of Nigeria, check out this awesome video from

our friends at AJ+