President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday said Nigeria has attracted nearly $20 billion in foreign direct investments this year.

Speaking during a panel session at the ongoing Africa CEO Forum, President Tinubu attributed the inflow to reforms aimed at improving transparency, efficiency, and investor confidence in the country.

He said his administration’s policies were positioning Nigeria as an open and competitive destination for investment.

“In Nigeria, we’ve attracted nearly $20 billion in direct investment this year because we are efficient, transparent, and open for business,” President Tinubu said.

He said that Nigeria would no longer permit the export of raw minerals without local value addition, noting that the country possesses the capacity to manufacture products such as electric vehicle batteries from its mineral resources.

He said: “With our metals, we can produce batteries for cars. The private sector brings capital and expertise, but government must de-risk and create the enabling environment. That partnership is how Africa moves forward”.

He also canvassed for stronger economic integration across the continent, urging African countries to move beyond rhetoric and fully activate the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

According to him, Africa needs to put its money where its mouth is and build a new relationship with its own resources.

“We have the African Continental Free Trade Area—it must not sit on the shelf. It needs to be activated properly through collaboration and effective use of resources, not by working in silos,” President Tinubu said.

He advocated an “Africa First” approach to development, insisting that African resources should primarily benefit the continent through local processing and manufacturing.

“We don’t want scavengers and extractors. We want partners who process and manufacture locally,” President Tinubu said.

Speaking on industrialisation, President Tinubu cited the success of the Dangote Refinery as proof that Africa could undertake large-scale projects with the right support framework.

According to him, Nigeria overcame years of dependence on imported petroleum products after supporting the establishment of the refinery through policy backing, credit support, and licensing approvals.

He said: “Today Nigeria is a net exporter of PMS, aviation fuel, and other products. Dangote is supplying aviation fuel across Africa and to European airlines”.

He also called for reforms to intra-African trade and financial systems, questioning the continent’s reliance on foreign currencies for trade transactions.

“If you produce in Nigeria, you can trade in naira. Why should African trade depend on dollars? That adds cost and instability,” President Tinubu said.

He proposed the establishment of an African commodity exchange platform that would enable direct trade among the continent’s 54 countries.

On the issue of mobilising African capital for development, President Tinubu said governments must create stable legal and policy environments capable of attracting long-term investment.

He said: “Capital is cowardly. It needs transparency, accountability, and stability”.

He also advocated the creation of an African credit rating agency, arguing that existing global rating institutions do not adequately understand African markets and risks.

“The big American agencies dominate 95 per cent of the market, but they don’t understand our risks and opportunities,” President Tinubu said.

He noted that in addressing Africa’s digital infrastructure deficit, Nigeria is laying 19,000 kilometres of fibre optic cables nationwide to expand connectivity and support the digital economy.

“That’s how we bring lessons to children, connect families, and enable traders,” President Tinubu said.

He added that Africa must invest beyond basic telecommunications and build full digital infrastructure systems, including data processing, storage, artificial intelligence, and e-commerce capabilities.

He said: “We need to fund Africa’s shift from basic telecoms to AI and e-commerce”.

He further expressed optimism that the AfCFTA would eventually boost intra-African trade, despite political and structural barriers currently slowing integration efforts.

He said: “Pan-Africanism can’t remain a slogan. It has to be lived”.

He also urged African leaders to strengthen regional alliances and economic cooperation in response to global economic shocks and geopolitical uncertainties.

“If Europe can build alliances and move forward, so can we. Africa has everything we need here. What we require is good policy and the will to act.

“We don’t want our children dying at sea trying to reach elsewhere. We have the resources. We just need to help each other and push together. That is the only way to build an inclusive and prosperous Africa,” President Tinubu said. (The Nation News)

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