My Mission at the NIPC: Champion Nigeria as One of the World’s Most Investable Countries
Tonye Cole with the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole MFR at the inauguration of the new Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission Board
I have always believed that service means stepping forward when your experience and perspective can make a meaningful difference.
It is therefore a great privilege to be invited by the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole MFR, to join the newly constituted Board of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC).
The NIPC promotes and coordinates investment in Nigeria, helping Nigerian and international investors turn interest into committed capital.
My mission is clear: to help put Nigeria on the map as one of the most investable countries on earth.
I believe Nigeria has an extraordinary investment story to tell. We have the resources, talent, scale and ambition to compete for the long-term investment that will shape the next generation of global growth.
But opportunity alone is not enough. Investors have choices. We need to make the case for Nigeria clearly, credibly and consistently to the people deciding where global capital goes.
As a co-founder and former group executive director of Sahara Group, a leading African energy business, I understand the ambition behind Nigeria’s businesses. As an investor in digital infrastructure, I understand the scrutiny that comes before a commitment of capital. My experience in politics, alongside my commitment to public life, has also given me an understanding of how government works. I see my role on the NIPC Board as bringing those perspectives together.
I will the the bridge between those worlds to make Nigeria’s opportunities clearer and more compelling to international investors, while ensuring investors’ questions and perspectives are heard at home.
Working alongside the Honourable Minister and my fellow Board members, three priorities will guide that contribution.
First, we need to tell Nigeria’s investment story more effectively.
Nigeria’s economy grew by 3.87% in 2025, up from 3.38% in 2024. That is welcome progress, but we cannot assume the numbers will speak for themselves.
We need to make a credible case for why investors should choose Nigeria, while recognising that long-term capital depends on confidence in the rule of law, security and a predictable operating environment.
My role is to promote Nigeria’s opportunities and help investors understand them.
Second, we need to turn international interest into long-term investment in the infrastructure, businesses and productive assets that Nigeria needs to grow.
Nigeria attracted US$10.37 billion in foreign capital in the first quarter of 2026. But 94% went into investments such as shares and bonds, while only 1.3% was invested directly into Nigerian businesses and other long-term assets.
That tells us something important. International capital is looking at Nigeria, but we need to do more to translate that interest into the long-term investment that builds businesses, infrastructure and productive assets.
We need to understand what long-term investors require—and help investors understand the scale of Nigeria’s opportunities.
Third, investment must deliver for Nigerians.
Putting Nigeria on the investment map is not an end in itself. The real test is what that investment allows us to build and the opportunities it creates for our people.
Around 3.5 million Nigerians enter the labour force each year, yet only 62.5% of the population had access to electricity in 2024. Gaps in power, transport and digital connectivity continue to limit productivity.
That is why I want to focus particularly on energy, digital capability and investment that helps businesses grow, develops skills and creates good jobs, giving Nigeria’s young population the tools and opportunities to build successful futures here.
In the coming days, I will travel to CHOGM 2026 in Antigua and Barbuda. It will be an early opportunity in this new role to do exactly what I have set out here: make the case for Nigeria, promote the opportunities our country offers and listen carefully to the perspectives of international investors.
Nigeria has an extraordinary investment story to tell. My mission is to help put it on the map as one of the most investable countries on earth.
