JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The chief executive of Barclays Africa said on Thursday the lender aims to enter Nigeria as a new market as it seeks to raise its share of the African banking market to 12 percent from 6 percent over the medium term.

Maria Ramos made the remarks during a presentation after South Africa's No.2 lender by market value reported a 4 percent rise in annual profit thanks to a substantial decline in impairments.

(Reporting by Ed Stoddard; Editing by James Macharia)