By Ayomide Otitoju
President Bola Tinubu has announced that Nigeria will co-host the Investopia summit with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Lagos this February, an initiative designed to attract global investors and accelerate sustainable investment inflows.
Tinubu made the announcement at the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), where Nigeria also signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the UAE. The agreement aims to deepen cooperation in renewable energy, infrastructure, logistics, digital trade, aviation, agriculture, and climate-smart development.
“CEPA is a historic and strategic agreement that will create enduring opportunities for the people of both countries,” Tinubu said. “We warmly invite our partners to join us and help build the next chapter of sustainable and shared prosperity for Nigeria, Africa, and the world.”
The president described Investopia as a platform that will bring together investors, innovators, policymakers, and business leaders to convert opportunities into tangible investments.
Speaking at the summit, Tinubu highlighted Nigeria’s ambition to mobilise up to $30 billion annually in climate and green industrial finance to accelerate energy transition reforms and expand nationwide electricity access. “The foundation of every modern economy is electricity. As an emerging economy, we must balance industrialisation and decarbonisation without compromising either,” he said.
Tinubu called for reforms in global financial structures, urging a shift from restrictive sovereign guarantee requirements toward blended finance and first-loss capital mechanisms to enable private sustainable investment without straining national budgets.
He also outlined Nigeria’s domestic initiatives, including the National Carbon Market Activation Policy, the launch of a National Carbon Registry to improve transparency and investor confidence, and the Electricity Act 2023, which facilitates decentralised power generation for underserved communities.
The president noted specific climate investment projects, including a $500 million distributed renewable energy fund supported by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority and a $750 million World Bank programme expected to expand clean electricity access to over 17.5 million people.
Highlighting Nigeria’s economic reforms, Tinubu reported a 21 per cent growth in non-oil exports and over $50 billion in investment commitments across key sectors. He also invited investors to engage in Nigeria’s lithium and critical minerals sector, emphasizing local processing and value addition.
“Our reforms, alongside fiscal and monetary measures, are delivering results. We are ready to work with global partners to ensure the next era of development is green, inclusive, just, and enduring,” he said, reaffirming Nigeria’s target of net-zero emissions by 2060 under its Energy Transition Plan.
