In a significant move to transform commitment into measurable action, the Impact Investors Foundation (IIF) convened a high-level workshop in Lagos on Thursday, February 26, 2026, to operationalize Nigeria’s Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) Roadmap. Held at Four Points by Sheraton, the session brought together a coalition of investors, policymakers, and private sector leaders to shift the national narrative from broad advocacy to the rigorous execution of gender-smart capital allocation.
The fiscal and structural consequence of this initiative is the formal integration of gender-lens principles into the core of Nigeria’s financial ecosystem. CEO of IIF, Etemore Glover, described the workshop as the “essential next strategic step,” emphasizing that a roadmap alone is insufficient without institutional transformation. The goal is to move beyond mere policy alignment and begin embedding inclusive investment strategies that dismantle systemic barriers for women and marginalized groups, effectively transitioning the landscape toward structured, data-led action.
Analytically, the workshop provided a technical deep dive into the GESI framework, originally launched at the 2025 Gender Impact Investment Summit. Led by experts from PwC, the roadmap outlines a disciplined approach to the entire investment lifecycle. This includes proactively identifying women-led enterprises during deal sourcing, assessing gender-related risks in due diligence, and strengthening inclusive governance during portfolio management. By grounding these principles in practical methodologies, the IIF aims to make gender-lens investing a measurable component of institutional performance rather than an optional philanthropic venture.
The impact on “Market Resilience and Global Standards” is a vital dimension of this strategy. Sessions led by 2X Global and Moremi Capital contextualized international benchmarks, such as the 2X Criteria, within the Nigerian market. These experts argued that gender-smart investing is a disciplined financial strategy, supported by evidence that diverse leadership leads to superior innovation, risk management, and long-term value creation. This was further reinforced by case studies from firms like Alitheia Capital, which demonstrated that inclusive enterprises often outperform their peers in operational efficiency.
Furthermore, the workshop prioritized immediate institutional implementation through the use of the IIF’s GESI Diagnostic Tool. Participating organizations used the tool to assess their internal readiness across governance and reporting structures, resulting in concrete action plans for policy strengthening. The unveiling of the Nigeria Inclusive Capital Baseline Survey provided much-needed sex-disaggregated and disability-disaggregated data, establishing a national benchmark to track progress and identify specific financing gaps that affect women and youth.
The long-term outlook for Nigeria’s impact investing market suggests a future where inclusion is a competitive advantage rather than a compliance exercise. As the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and global partners like GSG Impact push for a more aligned financial ecosystem, the focus remains on ensuring that private capital is mobilized toward national development priorities. With the roadmap now operational, the Nigerian investment community is charged with the task of proving that inclusive capital is not just a moral imperative, but a powerful engine for economic resilience.
