Nigeria Woos Global Capital to Fund Power, Infrastructure, Jobs As Summit Targets $100bn

Nigeria is seeking to attract more than $100 billion in global investment to finance power, infrastructure and job-creating projects as investors, governments and business leaders from over 50 countries prepare to attend the International Investors Summit in Abuja in November.

Organisers of the International Investors Summit, Nigeria 2026 said on Tuesday they are targeting more than $100 billion in investment commitments when international investors, governments and corporate leaders from more than 50 countries converge in Abuja on November 10–11.

President of the Business Summit Group, Dr Haider Uzzaman, told journalists the two-day event aims to connect Nigerian companies, state governments and project owners directly with global financiers and strategic partners, shifting discussions from speeches to deal-making.

“The summit is not about ceremonies,” Dr Uzzaman said. “It is about matching investment-ready projects with capital, technology and strategic partners that can execute and scale them.”

Uzzaman said the summit will showcase investment-ready opportunities across oil and gas, renewable energy, power generation and distribution, technology, artificial intelligence, fintech, healthcare, agriculture and agro-processing, mining, infrastructure, education and human capital development.

He singled out the power sector as a priority, arguing that allowing private producers to sell electricity directly to consumers — combined with private-sector investment and technology transfer — could transform supply in a manner similar to Nigeria’s rapid telecommunications expansion after liberalisation.

“We want investors to meet real businesses, real project owners and government representatives with investment-ready opportunities,” he said.

On his part, vice president  the  group, Innocent Obande said the organisers are seeking serious investors and set a minimum threshold of $10 million for projects to be considered for investor matching.

He described the pipeline as a mix of equity partners (strategic and financial) and debt financiers, and said strategic investors will be sought for their capacity to provide management skills, systems and technology transfer in addition to capital.

“Investors are busy. They have money, but they are looking for credible teams and properly structured projects,” Obande said. “Our role is to match those investors with projects that have clear commercial prospects and sustainable returns.”

Obande urged project owners to present properly structured business propositions with clear commercial models, realistic timelines and governance frameworks. He advised prioritising projects capable of immediate implementation and demonstrated scalability.

Organisers said participants are expected from the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Switzerland, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Turkey, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Australia and countries across the GCC and wider Middle East.

Dr Uzzaman also disclosed expressions of interest from heads of state: Liberia’s President Joseph Boakai has indicated interest in attending, while Vít Jedlička, president of the self-styled Free Republic of Liberland, has confirmed participation.

Uzzaman cited the prior edition of the summit in Bangkok as a catalyst for demand to host the 2026 edition in Nigeria. He said 25 Nigerian companies and state delegations attended the Bangkok event; Plateau State’s five-member team subsequently leveraged follow-up engagements to secure commitments worth more than $1 billion within six months.

“As Plateau shows, linking project owners directly with global investors can deliver quick, measurable outcomes,” he said. After the Bangkok meetings, Uzzaman said some commercial outcomes already include exports of liquefied petroleum gas from Nigeria to Bangladesh.

Uzzaman urged state and federal governments to view the private sector as a partner in development. He framed the summit as a platform to reposition Nigeria from merely a large consumer market to a destination for long-term, strategic capital deployment.

“We want a sustainable investment bridge between Nigeria, Africa and the global investment community,” he said, calling on state governments, investment promotion agencies and project owners to prepare investment-ready proposals ahead of the November summit.

Speakers acknowledged the hurdles that will influence investor decisions, including Nigeria’s infrastructure deficits and security challenges. Uzzaman noted global liquidity and investor appetite — referencing large pools of international capital seeking deployment — but said investor interest will be determined by project quality, governance, risk mitigation and the ability to deliver return

Uzzaman said Plateau State governor Caleb Mutfwang appointed him as a special adviser on investment, a role he described as an obligation to help attract quality investments that expand production, create jobs and strengthen the state economy.