Nigeria’s capital market is being positioned for a bigger role in driving economic growth as stockbrokers call for stronger links between funds raised in the market and real improvements in jobs, businesses, infrastructure and household wealth. The call comes as Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth reached 4.43 per cent in the second quarter of 2026.
The Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) is set to make the issue a major focus at its 30th Annual Conference scheduled for November 4 and 5, 2026, in Lagos. With the theme, “From Capital Mobilised to Prosperity Realised: Financing Nigeria’s Next Era of Growth and Global Competitiveness,” the conference will bring together policymakers, regulators, investors, market operators and other stakeholders to examine how the capital market can better finance long-term development.
Chairman of the Conference Committee, Saheed Bashir, said the conversation must move beyond celebrating rising market capitalisation to examining what the money raised actually delivers to Nigerians. He noted that the market capitalisation of listed companies has climbed to about N160tn from roughly N30tn in May 2023, while the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals IPO has emerged as the country’s largest capital raise, involving 4.1 billion shares at N525 per share.
Bashir stressed that a growing stock market does not automatically translate into improved living standards, arguing that capital mobilisation must flow into productive sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, infrastructure and small and medium-sized businesses. He also called for transparent reporting on how funds raised are used, alongside deeper institutional investment, improved macroeconomic stability and greater attention to measurable outcomes such as job creation, production and household wealth.
The conference is expected to explore ways of attracting more domestic and foreign investors through better market access, investor protection, digital onboarding, transparent foreign exchange arrangements and a stronger pipeline of quality listings. The CIS is also expected to produce a policy communiqué with recommendations for government and regulators, while discussions will cover technology, retail participation, product innovation, market infrastructure, ethics and professional development. The event will also mark three decades of the institute’s annual conference and follows the election of Dr Fiona Nyako Ahmed Ahimie as the CIS’s 14th President and first female president.
source: punch