Africa Investment Forum 2019…All Eyes on Nigeria

In the forthcoming Africa Investment Forum 2019 scheduled to take place in Johannesburg, South Africa from November 11 to 13. Nigeria is expected to feature significantly in the 

Key industry players, including policy makers and representatives of state governments, who participated at a roadshow event in Abuja on July 9,

disclosed their intentions to take advantage of the 2nd edition of the Forum which is being jointly organised by the the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC).

Highlights of the Nigeria roadshow included key lessons from the 2018 forum, project preparation guidelines as well as presentations on selected pipelines.

Speaking at the event, Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, emphasised the role of private capital to deliver the infrastructure required to grow Nigeria’s economy and provide jobs for millions of young Nigerians.

“With the support of the African Development Bank and the African Finance Corporation, and the quality of investors that attended the inaugural edition in South Africa last year, I am confident that if we put our best foot forward, we will receive significant funding commitment for investments across Nigeria and the continent,’’ Fayemi said.

Senior AfDB Director for the Nigeria Country Office, Ebrima Faal, highlighted Nigeria’s prominence during the 2018 Forum, saying Nigeria was very visible and that out of the 63 boardroom deals presented at the Forum, Nigeria had 5 deals worth $7 billion.

This represents 14.9 per cent of the total deals accounted for on the continent, and 43 per cent of the deals accounted for the region.

“The African Development Bank and its partners are excited to present you with … the only platform that allows you to instantly pitch and close monumental deals on the spot. We encourage you to engage early and wholesomely to be a part of re-writing Africa’s economic history.

“We are now seeing positive momentum in building transparent and durable institutions to anchor the political economy, promote and support development of the private sector, in order to increase the pace, depth and spread of economic growth,’’ Faal said.

The AFC Senior Director, Taiwo Adeniji, also added this: “Building on the success recorded in 2018, it is expected that Nigeria will be a major participant at the 2019 Forum. The Africa Finance Corporation is keen to support Nigerian businesses across sectors to ensure effective project implementation to boost economic development.’’