Iyke Bede
Through a strategic partnership between Impact Investors Foundation and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Nigeria has launched an ambitious ten-year national strategy at the third edition of the annual Gender Impact Investment Summit (GIIS) to tackle deep-rooted economic exclusion against youths, persons with disabilities (PwDs), and women, unlocking an estimated ₦2.9 trillion opportunity.
They aim to achieve this goal through the Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) Roadmap (2025–2035), confronting a system where women, who own 40 per cent of small businesses, receive less than five per cent of formal credit, and where persons with disabilities face unemployment rates of over 60 per cent. The plan aims to dismantle these barriers by fundamentally reshaping the nation’s investment landscape, channelling capital intentionally towards women, youth, and marginalised groups to drive inclusive growth.
Speaking on the barriers women face in building enterprises, His Highness Muhammadu Sanusi II, Emir of Kano, bluntly pointed:
“This question of gender-led businesses and gender-led enterprises is really a matter of common sense.But we overthink it. We overthink it and then we complicate it and then we imagine problems that do not exist. And anyone who’s tried to do this realizes that a lot of the problems and obstacles are imagined. And maybe they’re deliberately placed there because those who benefit from a male-dominated world are very unwilling to let go of those privileges.”
With the summit themed Investing in Equity: Advancing Gender-Led Solutions for Inclusive Development, the comprehensive blueprint mandates a multi-stakeholder effort, requiring investors, policymakers, and financial institutions to integrate inclusive practices into their core operations.
Through targeted actions across eleven priority sectors, from agriculture to the digital economy, the roadmap seeks actionable paths to catalyse innovative financing, strengthen policies, and foster a cultural shift. The ultimate goal is to position Nigeria as a regional leader in impact investing, transforming its economy into a more equitable engine for shared prosperity.
Emphasising why the roadmap matters, Chairperson of the Nigerian National Advisory Board for Impact Investing (NABII), Ibukun Awosika, highlighted a moment in Nigeria’s banking history that proved competence, not gender, determines leadership.
“Before 2015-16, in the Nigerian financial services system, there was not a single woman that was chair. But within a year, three women became chair of three of the top five banks in Nigeria. That opened people’s mindset to the possibility of what women can do.”
She continued: “Today, check the statistics of the number of financial institutions we have and how many women sit as chief executives. There are about fourteen or fifteen amongst twenty-something banks. The point is not about a woman getting the seat, it’s about competent women sitting in the place. Because there was a visual imagery that proved women could do it and do it well, more doors were opened for more qualified women to have a chance, and they got into those seats and are delivering.”
Building on this, the summit ended with a call to view the roadmap not just as policy but as a turning point for Nigeria’s investment future.
“This GESI Roadmap is not just a plan; it’s a blueprint for a significant shift in Nigeria’s economy. The scale of the targets underscores our profound commitment to a future where no one is left behind. This incredibly exciting moment sets a powerful, decade-long course to democratize capital and transform our investment landscape for women, youth, and People with Disabilities (PwDs),” CEO of the Impact Investors Foundation, Etemore Glover, concluded.
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