The Federal Government has announced a major policy shift toward capital de-risking and private sector–led growth as the cornerstone of its 2026 Growth Acceleration and Investment Mobilisation Strategy. The move signals a transition away from direct government intervention toward creating conditions that attract large-scale domestic and foreign investment across critical sectors of the economy.
Minister of State for Finance, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, disclosed the new direction in a statement on Monday, explaining that the strategy is designed to lower investment risks, remove policy distortions, and strengthen execution discipline. According to her, the government is moving from a phase of macroeconomic stabilisation to sustained economic expansion driven primarily by private capital rather than public spending.
Uzoka-Anite said ongoing reforms — including exchange rate unification, energy market restructuring and fiscal consolidation — have laid the foundation for growth. Going forward, government intervention will focus on ensuring a predictable macroeconomic environment, dismantling regulatory and price-control barriers, and using blended finance, guarantees and credit enhancements to crowd in private investors instead of relying on direct expenditure.
Under the plan, Nigeria will pursue a sector-led growth model based on a “willing buyer, willing seller” framework, with price controls and market access restrictions removed to encourage entrepreneurship and capital inflows. Priority sectors include energy and gas-based industrialisation, agribusiness, manufacturing, housing and urban infrastructure, healthcare, digital services, creative industries, logistics and solid minerals.
Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) are expected to play a central role in executing the strategy by de-risking investments and mobilising long-term capital. The Ministry of Finance noted that institutions such as the Bank of Industry and the Nigerian Export-Import Bank will anchor financing and risk-sharing frameworks, while broader efforts will also expand consumer credit and financial inclusion in partnership with banks, fintechs and the Central Bank of Nigeria, ensuring growth reaches households, microenterprises and underserved communities.
source: punch