… advocate local capital domiciliation
Industry leaders, development finance institutions, fund managers, investors, financial institutions and regulators convened in Lagos on Wednesday at the 2025 Investors Roundtable, hosted by the Impact Investors Foundation (IIF), to explore practical steps for accelerating and enhancing the volume, composition, and flow of capital toward impact investments in Nigeria.
The insightful session was held under the theme: “Catalyzing Impactful Investments in Nigeria: Unlocking Opportunities, Driving Sustainable Growth”.
Supported by the Ford Foundation, the UK International Development under the third phase of the RISA Fund’s Sustainable Systems for Research and Innovation Financing Project (SSRIF III), and Wema Bank, the event brought together key players from the investment and development finance ecosystem to discuss innovative solutions for unlocking local impact capital.
The roundtable provided a strategic platform for reflective dialogue on strategic ways to unlock private capital for impact investments. It also addressed systemic barriers and engaged in collaborative brainstorming sessions to deliver actionable strategies for strengthening Nigeria’s impact investment landscape.
Delivering goodwill remarks, Frank Aigbogun, Chair of IIF; Alice Dada, Nigeria Country Lead, RISA Fund-Chemonics; and Ayodele Olojede, Divisional Head, Retail and SME, Wema Bank, underscored the need for alternative investment mechanisms to support MSMEs, a critical driver of Nigeria’s economic growth.
In her welcome address, Etemore Glover, CEO of the Impact Investors Foundation, charged participants to collaborate, innovate, and take decisive steps to unlock the full potential of impact capital in Nigeria.
“To build a resilient impact economy, we must look inward and tap into local capital pools, including pension funds, government resources, high-net-worth individuals, and corporate investors,” she said.
In his keynote address, Benson Adenuga, Nigeria Country Director at the British International Investment (BII), highlighted the relevance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to economic growth, stating that Nigeria’s economic challenges present opportunities for investors to create innovative, impact-driven solutions.
He urged investors to identify and specialize in a niche within the impact investing spectrum, ensuring sustainable financial and social returns.
Similarly, in her keynote speech, Tosin Ojo, Partner at Sahel Capital Agribusiness Managers Limited, shared insights on engaging domestic investors amid dwindling international capital inflows. She emphasized that financial sustainability remains a key determinant for domestic investors considering impact investment.
“The sustainability of financial returns is crucial for domestic investors. No impact can be sustained without a strong financial foundation,” Ojo noted.
During the panel discussion ‘Scaling Impact Initiatives to Attract and Mobilize Capital for Sustainable Investments,’ Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes, Founder & CEO, Aruwa Capital Management; Andrew Tarazid-Tarawali, Investment Director, Small Foundation; Akinwande Pearse, Technical Advisor, GIZ Nigeria & ECOWAS, called for a more seamless process for registering funds with the Nigeria Securities and Exchange Commission.
Participants also shared their reflections on a new study by the Mastercard Foundation and MEDA which explored Africa as a viable jurisdiction for fund domiciliation and explored how legal and regulatory reforms, tax policies and other incentives, capacity building of fund managers, among others could make Nigeria a preferred jurisdiction for local funds domiciliation.
Speaking on the insights from the report “Study on Africa as a Jurisdiction for Domiciliation of Investment Vehicles, speakers – Ayodele Ojosipe, Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN); Oluleye Ademola, Head of Investments, Veritas Glanvills Pensions;. Ayodele Adeyemi-Faboya, Partner, Banwo & Ighodalo; and Rabi Maidawa, Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigeria; and session moderator, Gwen Abiola-Oloke, CEO, DiAfrica, mapped a path to a successful domiciliation of investment vehicles in Nigeria.
The insights from this roundtable will shape further engagements, leading to concrete policy recommendations and investment facilitation programs.
