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Nigeria’s Risk Profile Lower, Returns Among World’s Highest – NGX Group Chairman Tells Investors in New York
By prince Benson Davies
The Group Chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group, Alhaji (Dr.) Umaru Kwairanga, has called on institutional and individual investors across the world to take strategic positions in the Nigerian economy, describing Nigeria as Africa’s next frontier with one of the lowest risk profiles in recent years and some of the highest sustainable returns in the world.
Kwairanga made the call while delivering an address at the Nigeria Investment Forum 2026 held in New York on September 25, 2026, with the theme “Connecting Capital to Opportunity: Investing in Africa’s Next Frontier.”
The Forum, convened by the Consulate General of Nigeria in New York, brought together government officials, diplomats, institutional investors, development finance institutions and business leaders to discuss Nigeria’s evolving investment landscape.
Speaking at the event, the NGX Group Chairman said the theme of the Forum speaks directly to a defining question for Nigeria and the continent, which is how to connect global capital more effectively with emerging opportunities. He explained that for Nigeria, the task goes beyond attracting capital to creating conditions that allow capital to enter efficiently, support productive enterprises, generate sustainable returns and contribute meaningfully to economic development.
Kwairanga recalled that the Nigerian delegation was in New York two years ago with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to outline the administration’s bold economic reforms aimed at correcting long-standing structural imbalances. He listed the removal of fuel subsidy, unification of exchange rates and discontinuation of parallel regimes, sensible monetary policy and a reformed tax regime as measures that have positively impacted macroeconomic growth and improved the business environment for both large and small businesses.
According to him, the positive effects of the reforms have reflected strongly on the Nigerian capital market, which has recorded double-digit growth every year since 2023.
He said the Nigerian Exchange Group sees itself as part of a broader national ecosystem for capital formation and economic growth, with a role that extends beyond providing a platform for trading securities to helping create an environment where businesses can access long-term financing, investors can participate in credible opportunities and savings can be channeled to productive sectors.
Kwairanga noted that such transformation depends fundamentally on investor confidence, stressing that while capital moves towards opportunity, it stays only where investors have confidence in institutions and systems. He said that confidence is built through sound regulation, credible governance, transparency, market integrity and efficient transactional infrastructure.
He argued that in weighing risk and return, investors will find that Nigeria’s country risk profile is considerably lower than it was three years ago, while returns available remain among the highest globally and are sustainable. He cited Nigeria’s abundance of natural resources in crude oil, solid minerals, fertile land and climate suitable for large-scale agriculture, combined with its large, young and hardworking population, as factors positioning the country as one of the 21st century’s economic growth engines.
“The story about Nigeria used to be one of immense potential with rudderless leadership but that is changing. The country’s potential remains huge but it is now underpinned by a stable democracy and a business-minded leadership that is committed to supporting the private sector and welcoming to foreign investment,” he said.
The NGX Group Chairman said forums like the Nigeria Investment Forum are valuable because they move beyond telling Nigeria’s investment story to enabling direct engagement with investors and institutions that can participate in the country’s growth. He added that international investors bring more than financing, including expertise, technology, global networks, institutional discipline and access to international markets.
Giving an update on developments at the Exchange, Kwairanga disclosed that the NGX has leveraged the favourable business environment and government support to build a robust and thriving capital market, growing market capitalisation as well as trading volumes and values in the last couple of years.
He said the Exchange has onboarded millions of new investors through its trading licence holders, marketing and digital innovations such as NGX Invest, an efficient portal for primary offers, and has welcomed more enterprises to listing.
He pointed to the ongoing Dangote Refinery Initial Public Offer as the latest listing, which he said is setting records for capital raised and number of subscribers on the African continent, proving that the Nigerian Exchange is a robust platform for capital raising and generating good returns.
“We remain committed to playing our part. We believe that a strong capital market is not an end in itself. Its value lies in what it enables: businesses to grow, savings to become productive investment, infrastructure to be financed, ownership to broaden and economic opportunities to reach more people,” he stated.
Kwairanga concluded that connecting capital to opportunity is ultimately about connecting investment to the real economy, creating conditions for capital to finance productive enterprise, enabling businesses to grow and ensuring investment translates into jobs, innovation, productivity and sustainable economic value.
He said Nigeria has opportunities that merit global attention and the collective task is to continue strengthening institutions, markets and partnerships that can transform those opportunities into investable and scalable propositions.
He therefore invited global investors to be part of Nigeria’s growth story through the Nigerian Exchange, noting that for venture capital, private equity and other institutional investors, there are tremendous opportunities in infrastructure financing, solid minerals development, large-scale agriculture, fintech and tourism development.
He added that the Exchange has desk officers ready to answer questions and link investors with trusted local partners, while for individual investors, there are over three hundred securities listed on the premium and main boards, most of which are performing well and generating returns through capital appreciation and dividends.
He noted that over one hundred and fifty investment firms who are active trading licence holders of the Nigerian Exchange are staffed by experienced professionals and equipped with the latest market technology to guide investors on how to invest in Nigerian financial assets and commodities, with the list available on the website http://www.ngxgroup.com.
“Nigeria is akin to China in the 1980s, a giant that is about to unleash its full potential. I invite you to take the right step and invest in Nigeria at the best time. That time is now,” Kwairanga declared.
