Nigeria’s Bangkok Roadshow: Before Oyedele and Oduwole Board the Next Flight
by Adeola Akinremi In July 2007, I attended the second session of the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in Thailand. It was my first
In July 2007, the writer attended a conference in Thailand, marking their first encounter with the city of Bangkok. Two decades later, Bangkok once again draws their attention, but not for the same reason. Next week, Nigeria's top economic officials, Dr. Taiwo Oyedele, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, and Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, will travel to Bangkok to pitch the country as a promising destination for foreign investments.
The government has prepared a colorful, animated landing page on its website, complete with a countdown clock, highlighting its plans and priorities for the Bangkok mission. They aim to present 23 transactions with a total capital requirement of $42.7 billion across various sectors including transport, energy, agriculture, industry, housing, and urban services.
Nigeria is attracting capital, with the IMF reporting a net inflow of $5.9 billion in financial account in 2025, mainly from portfolio investment. However, investors require evidence of progress that they can trust, such as a credible macroeconomic and foreign-exchange framework, predictable regulation, reliable infrastructure, and security.
Nigeria's repeated efforts to attract investors raise questions about the actual opportunities available to them. The government should focus on making transactions investable by addressing risks at three levels: country, project, and cost of making the investment function. At the country level, investors want assurance about getting their money out, reliance on rules, enforcing rights, and swift courts.
At the project level, they need to understand if the project can generate predictable cash flows and support infrastructure. The cost of making the investment function includes securing reliable electricity, predictable import procedures, and efficient local currency financing. A successful pitch should emphasize addressing these risks to convince investors that Nigeria's opportunities outweigh its challenges.
Written by urgent.news from This Day's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
