Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele outlined the ambition at an S&P Global Ratings Africa Summit in Lagos, where he presented the government’s plans to strengthen Nigeria’s investment environment and expand the role of capital markets in financing economic development.
The target forms part of a wider reform agenda that includes improving the accessibility of financial instruments, strengthening market infrastructure and encouraging greater participation by investors. Oyedele also said Nigeria aims to secure investment-grade credit ratings within three years.
A central element of the strategy is the development of a more integrated regional financial system. Nigeria is proposing a capital market passport arrangement that would allow approved issuers to raise funds across participating West African markets without undergoing separate regulatory approval processes in every country.
The government is also advocating a unified investor identification system and stronger connections between regional trading, settlement, and payment infrastructure. These measures are intended to reduce administrative barriers and make it easier for investors to participate in markets beyond their home countries.
The proposed integration framework would cover 10 West African countries, including Nigeria and Ghana, alongside eight francophone economies. The government has also called for a regional local-currency bond index and a credit enhancement facility to support cross-border infrastructure financing.
Nigeria’s $1 trillion ambition comes as the country seeks to mobilise additional financing for infrastructure, business expansion and economic diversification. A larger and more active capital market could provide companies and public institutions with alternatives to traditional bank lending and improve access to long-term domestic savings.
However, reaching the target will require more than an increase in market valuations. Sustained growth will depend on investor confidence, regulatory consistency, transparent corporate reporting, effective market supervision and the availability of investable securities.
The investment-grade objective also presents a demanding test. Achieving it within three years would require progress on fiscal management, economic stability, institutional credibility and the broader conditions used by credit-rating agencies to assess sovereign risk.
For Nigeria, the proposed reforms represent an effort to position its financial market as a stronger source of capital for domestic development and regional investment. Their success will depend on the government’s ability to translate policy announcements into credible implementation and sustained market participation.
