Nigeria’s current investment levels remain inadequate to generate the jobs, productivity gains and broad-based prosperity needed to meet the demands of its growing population, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has said.
The group said the country must now move beyond macroeconomic stabilisation and translate economic reforms into productive investment capable of expanding businesses, creating jobs, raising incomes and improving living standards.
The NESG stated this ahead of the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit (NES #32), scheduled for October 26 and 27, 2026, in Abuja, under the theme, “Growth that Works: Delivering Jobs, Productivity and Shared Prosperity.” The summit’s “Invest Nigeria” track will focus on mobilising capital for economic expansion while strengthening investment in human capital.
According to the NESG, Nigeria has significant investment opportunities in agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure, technology, energy, mining, logistics and the creative economy. It said unlocking these opportunities would require improvements in the investment climate, infrastructure, regulatory efficiency and access to finance.
The group’s position comes against the backdrop of persistent constraints on private-sector growth. In its October 2025 report, From Hustle to Decent Work: Unlocking Jobs and Productivity for Economic Transformation in Nigeria, the NESG identified inadequate infrastructure, unstable power supply, limited access to affordable finance, macroeconomic instability and high business costs as factors restricting firms’ ability to expand and create formal jobs.
The NESG said human capital investment would also be central to sustainable growth, with skills development needed to better match workers with labour-market demand.
The employment challenge remains significant. In its October 2025 jobs and productivity report, the NESG estimated that Nigeria would need to create 27.3 million net formal jobs between 2025 and 2030, equivalent to an average of 4.55 million jobs annually, to maintain an unemployment rate of 4.3%.
The report identified manufacturing, including agro-processing, construction, information and communications technology, and professional services as key sectors capable of driving formal job creation. It estimated that the four sectors could collectively account for 9.7 million, or 35%, of new formal jobs during the period, with manufacturing alone accounting for 21%.
The NESG said NES #32 would bring government, businesses, development institutions and other stakeholders together to develop measures for turning economic reforms into investment, productivity, job creation and shared prosperity.
