In a strategic move to deepen Nigeria’s capacity to finance critical infrastructure through the capital market, Africa Finance Corporation and Nigerian Exchange Limited have concluded a two-day high-level capacity-building programme aimed at strengthening the technical skills required to structure and finance large-scale infrastructure projects.

The workshop, held in Lagos, brought together regulators, institutional investors, project sponsors and financial institutions to sharpen expertise in project and infrastructure finance and reposition Nigeria’s capital market as a major funding platform for sustainable development.

Nigeria’s infrastructure funding gap, conservatively estimated at about $2.3 trillion by the year 2043, with projections rising towards $3 trillion, remains one of the biggest constraints on productivity, industrial growth and global competitiveness. Stakeholders at the programme agreed that closing this gap would require innovative, long-term financing tools that can mobilise domestic capital at scale.

Speaking at the workshop, Banji Fehintola, Executive Board Member and Head of Financial Services at AFC, said bridging Africa’s massive funding deficit would only be possible by strengthening local expertise and building robust market structures capable of supporting complex infrastructure projects.

According to him, AFC’s partnership with NGX underscores the growing confidence in Nigeria’s capital market as a key driver of long-term development financing.

Participants at the programme were taken through advanced frameworks for project structuring, risk allocation and credit enhancement, while also exploring emerging market instruments such as green bonds, infrastructure real estate investment trusts, blended finance models and partial risk guarantees.

On his part, Jude Chiemeka, Chief Executive Officer of NGX, said building deep technical expertise across the entire market ecosystem is now critical as capital markets assume a more central role in financing Africa’s development.

He noted that through NGX X-Academy, the Exchange is equipping market participants with specialised knowledge to originate, structure and manage infrastructure assets that meet global investment standards.

The programme marks a major milestone in the growing collaboration between the two institutions, as both AFC and NGX signalled plans for follow-up initiatives to translate the knowledge gained into tangible financing solutions for power, transport, housing and other critical infrastructure projects across the country.

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