By Chinenye Anuforo
Nigeria’s quest for inclusive economic growth is under threat as a staggering $6.75 billion financing gap continues to limit access to capital for women, youths and persons living with disabilities, stakeholders at the 4th Gender Impact Investment Summit have warned.
The warning came as investors, policymakers, financial institutions and development partners gathered in Lagos on Thursday to push for stronger gender-lens investment policies and more inclusive financing models capable of driving sustainable national growth.
At the summit, the Impact Investors Foundation unveiled findings from its latest Inclusive Capital Scorecard: GESI Baseline Survey, which exposed deep structural weaknesses in the country’s gender equity and social inclusion ecosystem.
Delivering the welcome remarks, Etemore Glover said the summit theme, “From Commitments to Action: Strengthening Inclusive Gender-Lensed Investment for Nigeria’s Growth”, reflected the urgent need to move beyond rhetoric into measurable action. According to her, the organisation’s studies revealed that women, youths and persons living with disabilities remain significantly excluded from financial opportunities despite growing conversations around inclusion.
“We realised that if Nigeria must achieve inclusive growth, then access to finance for these categories must be addressed deliberately,” she said.
Glover disclosed that stakeholders had committed to mobilising $8 billion in inclusive capital by 2035, but only $1.25 billion has been deployed so far, leaving a funding deficit of $6.75 billion.
The report further revealed that while 91 per cent of organisations surveyed claimed alignment with Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) objectives, only 41 per cent had formal GESI policies in place, exposing what stakeholders described as a dangerous gap between intent and implementation.
It also showed that women occupy just 22 per cent of leadership positions across institutions surveyed, far below the 40 per cent benchmark set by stakeholders, while only five per cent of inclusion-focused interventions currently target persons living with disabilities.
The survey identified weak policy enforcement, poor accountability systems and low domestic capital participation as major obstacles slowing inclusive investment growth in Nigeria.
According to the report, only 12 per cent of domestic capital pools have been aggregated into inclusive investment vehicles, while just two formal GESI policies have been adopted across surveyed institutions.
Speaking at the summit, Vice Chair of the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment, Ibukun Awosika, said gender inclusion must no longer be treated as a social conversation but as a core economic development strategy.
“This is not just about the girl-child. This is about how we strategically invest in 50 per cent of our population to unlock growth for our economy and nation,” she said.
Awosika stressed that women remain one of Nigeria’s most underutilised economic assets and warned that failure to intentionally support them through finance and policy reforms would continue to slow national productivity and development.
Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, blamed the slow pace of progress on weak political commitment and male-dominated policy structures.
“In this country, I have never seen a political cycle where gender equality was treated as a core campaign issue,” he said.
Sanusi recalled policies introduced during his tenure as CBN governor to improve female representation in Nigeria’s banking industry, noting that deliberate reforms helped pave the way for the emergence of several female bank CEOs in the country today.
“These things do not happen by accident. They happen because policies were deliberately designed to create inclusion,” he stated.
The Emir also advocated constitutional reforms to improve women’s representation in governance, including reserving one senatorial district in every state for female candidates on a rotational basis.
Beyond policy conversations, the summit featured investment deal rooms connecting screened women-led enterprises with investors, alongside exhibitions showcasing businesses owned by women, youths and persons living with disabilities.
Participants agreed that unless Nigeria urgently closes its inclusion gaps and strengthens accountability systems, the country risks losing critical economic opportunities needed for long-term growth and social stability.
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