The conference will explore how funds raised through the capital market can be channelled into productive sectors to expand businesses, create jobs, develop infrastructure and strengthen Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global economy.
With the theme, “From Capital Mobilised to Prosperity Realised: Financing Nigeria’s Next Era of Growth and Global Competitiveness,” the event is expected to provide a platform for stakeholders to examine practical ways of addressing the country’s investment and development challenges.
President of the CIS, Dr Fiona Ahimie, said the gathering would offer an opportunity to reconsider the role of the capital market in supporting Nigeria’s economic transformation.
According to her, the priority should extend beyond raising funds to ensuring that the money reaches businesses and projects capable of generating lasting economic benefits. She stressed that effective investment should lead to increased productive capacity, business growth, employment opportunities and shared prosperity.
Ahimie added that Nigeria needs a capital market that is innovative, inclusive and efficient, with the capacity to attract investment from both domestic and international sources.
Chairman of the Conference Committee, Saheed Bashir, said the event was designed to bring together key players across the investment sector to develop practical recommendations for financing the country’s growth ambitions.
He explained that discussions would examine the relationship between capital market development, technology, effective regulation and the funding requirements of businesses and other productive sectors.
Bashir said the conference would focus on moving beyond discussions about the potential of the capital market to identifying workable solutions for financing businesses, accelerating infrastructure development, supporting manufacturing and expanding opportunities for small and medium sized enterprises.
He expressed the hope that the deliberations would produce recommendations that policymakers, regulators, investors and business leaders could put into practice and measure against clear economic outcomes.
One of the major sessions will focus on “Financing Productive Investments in the Real Economy: Spotlight on Infrastructure, Manufacturing, and SMEs.”
The session will examine ways to improve access to long term funding for sectors considered essential to Nigeria’s economic development. It will also explore how the capital market can complement traditional bank lending by connecting businesses and infrastructure projects with institutional investors and other sources of long term capital.
The conference comes at a time when access to affordable, sustainable financing remains important to expanding productive activities, strengthening businesses and creating employment across the country.
