Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is aggressively marketing Nigeria to global investors and positioning the country as a leading destination for investment across critical sectors of the economy.
Speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, the minister said President Tinubu’s engagements at the forum focused largely on mobilising investments into Nigeria, particularly in the power, mining and infrastructure sectors.
“One very exciting thing about Mr President is that he is never tired of marketing Nigeria. He is the chief marketer for the country”, Oyedele said.
According to him, several high-level discussions held by the President centred on economic opportunities and how to attract more private capital into strategic sectors of the Nigerian economy.
“We had several discussions mostly focusing on economic opportunities, how can we mobilise more investment, particularly in the area of power. We also had interesting discussions around mining, as well as opportunities to support private sector businesses more,” he stated.
The minister said part of the engagements at the forum included conversations around investment in port development, solid minerals and private enterprise expansion.
He noted that Nigeria’s investment story is becoming more credible under the Tinubu administration because the President is not merely making promises but pointing to concrete reforms and achievements already undertaken.
“We were not telling our stories as we should before now. By telling the story that is credible, and you are not just saying what we can do, Mr President has the credentials to demonstrate all he has done and his commitment to demonstrate even more compelling results going forward,” he said.
Oyedele also spoke on President Tinubu’s bilateral meeting with the President of Guinea, describing the interaction as warm and strategic.
According to him, Tinubu commended the Guinean leader for resisting pressure to withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), noting that both leaders shared a common vision for regional integration and cooperation.
“The meeting with the President of Guinea was more like a big brother and younger brother engagement. It was quite interesting what the two countries can do together.
“Mr President commended the President of Guinea for not withdrawing from ECOWAS when the pressure was much on him to do that. He was thinking of the vision for ECOWAS as something he could relate with rather than something put together in a hurry,” the minister said.
He added that both countries were exploring areas of partnership, particularly in iron ore development and broader economic cooperation.
“There is a lot the two countries can do together in the area of development, some of which is iron ore and partnership. We are stronger together,” he added.
On the broader discussions at the Africa CEO Forum, Oyedele said Nigeria’s ongoing reforms have become a reference point for the rest of Africa, stressing that the continent must now focus on execution rather than rhetoric.
According to him, the reforms undertaken by the Tinubu administration, though difficult, were necessary and are beginning to position Nigeria for long-term economic gains.
“Nigeria has done a lot of very transformative reforms. For Africa, it is no longer just about saying we should do this or that. We now have the example in Nigeria.
“It wasn’t meant to be easy, but it was necessary, and now we are on that track towards winning and getting all the gains of those reforms,” he stated.
The minister said discussions at the forum focused on scale, speed and building credible institutions capable of driving sustainable development across the continent.
He said African leaders were increasingly recognising the need for stronger collaboration in raising development finance, promoting value addition instead of raw material extraction, and stimulating growth in labour-intensive sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, technology and services.
“How do you ensure that Africans come together so that the world can pay attention to us? There are issues to deal with; how do you raise finance for development, not just focusing on extraction but value addition?
“How do you stimulate growth in labour-intensive sectors; agriculture, manufacturing, industry, services and technology, so that we can lift our people out of poverty?” he asked.
Oyedele said leaders at the forum agreed that Africa must urgently transition from policy discussions to practical implementation.
“The leaders in the room recognised that the time for rhetoric is over and it is now time for execution,” he said.
He described the moment as an exciting period not only for Nigeria but for the African continent as a whole.
“It is exciting for us to have the opportunity to serve at this time, not just for our country but for our continent,” the minister added.
