PRETORIA — In a major diplomatic and economic offensive, Nigeria’s administration executed a high-level trade and investment dialogue in South Africa on Friday, strategically timed just ahead of the G20 Summit.
The event signaled a coordinated, top-down effort to attract South African capital, led by Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Adebayo Olawale Edun, and a special adviser to the President.
Minister Edun delivered the administration’s core message to the assembled South African CEOs and investors, stating unequivocally: “Nigeria is open for business, safe for investment.”
This message of macroeconomic stabilization was reinforced by concrete policy goals. Sanyade Okoli, Special Adviser to the President on Finance and the Economy, outlined Nigeria’s ambition to achieve 7% GDP growth by 2027. She noted this requires a “coordinated focus” on governance reform, infrastructure expansion, and improving access to capital.
Underscoring the scale of the push, a delegation of nine Nigerian state governors was present, including those from key states like Kaduna, Nasarawa, Enugu, and Niger. Their participation indicated a readiness to negotiate investment opportunities directly at the state level.
The dialogue, themed “Driving Sustainable Investment, Innovation and Inclusive Trade,” was strongly supported by the private sector, including MTN Group. CEO Ralph Mupita endorsed the bilateral push, identifying digital and physical infrastructure as the “engine of this progress.”
The summit effectively served as a direct channel for Nigeria’s highest-ranking economic policymakers to engage South African capital, leveraging the G20’s global focus to accelerate the administration’s economic agenda.
