EXPERTS IDENTIFY LACK OF BANKABLE PROJECTS AS NIGERIA’S INVESTMENT HURDLE

Nigeria’s major challenge in attracting and deploying capital is not a shortage of funds but the limited number of investable and properly structured projects capable of absorbing available financing, experts at the 2026 Chief Executive Officer Forum of the UN Global Compact Network Nigeria have said. The forum, held in Lagos, brought together business leaders, policymakers, financial institutions and development partners to discuss ways of improving economic productivity through better alignment of capital, policy and business action.

The forum, themed “Financing a Dignified Future: Aligning Capital, Policy and Business Action,” focused on how Nigeria can create conditions that encourage long-term investment and sustainable economic growth. The CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Network Nigeria, Naomi Nwokolo, urged business leaders to move beyond repeatedly identifying economic challenges and concentrate on practical solutions that can strengthen competitiveness, improve wages and support sustainable development.

The Director-General of the Northwest Governors Forum, Maryam Musa Yahaya, said state governments needed to work more closely with investors to tackle structural problems such as inadequate power supply, regulatory difficulties and insecurity. Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, also presented his administration’s 10-year development plan, which he said was designed to improve policy stability, strengthen geophysical data and increase the state’s internally generated revenue from N90 million to about N45 billion monthly.

On access to finance, FirstBank Deputy Managing Director Ini Ebong said financial inclusion should be regarded as critical infrastructure rather than simply a corporate social responsibility initiative. He noted that many small businesses still struggle to attract financing because of weak record-keeping and corporate governance structures, which make it difficult for financial institutions to assess and support them.

The Group Chief Operating Officer of Custodian Investment, Adeniyi Falade, disclosed that less than three per cent of the pension industry’s N32tn asset pool is invested in infrastructure, largely because of the shortage of properly structured and bankable projects. Sahara Power Group Managing Director Anthony Youdeowei similarly stressed the need for significant investment in electricity distribution infrastructure, while Canada’s Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Carlos Rojas-Arbulú, said international investors were increasingly focused on transparent data and credible feasibility studies when deciding where to commit capital.