Renowned global investor and Chairman of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), Adebayo Ogunlesi, has declared Nigeria as an increasingly attractive destination for international investment, citing recent economic reforms and government-backed initiatives that have reshaped the business climate.
Speaking during a recent interview, Ogunlesi highlighted the country’s progress in areas such as subsidy removal, tax reform, refinery operations, and road ownership unification. According to him, these reforms signal a fundamental transformation in Nigeria’s economy and create fresh opportunities for global investors.
“Nigeria is now a place that is exciting to invest in, and that’s what we talked to Mr. President about. And of course, as you would expect, he was very encouraging of international investments in Nigeria,” Ogunlesi said.
Ogunlesi, whose company invests heavily in energy, ports, and aviation globally, noted that Nigeria’s vast natural gas reserves, growing aviation sector, and potential for renewable energy projects offer strong investment opportunities.
Acknowledging his firm’s operations in neighbouring ports in Cotonou and Lomé, he admitted to the President that Nigeria had so far been overlooked in that area. Tinubu, he said, encouraged him to redirect such investments home, and the company is now considering Nigerian port infrastructure as a priority.
He said, “The aviation sector is also an area of interest to us. I confessed to Mr. President that one of our companies has ports in Cotonou, and it has a port in Lome, none in Nigeria. So I asked for his forgiveness and understanding, and being the gentleman that he was, he forgave me, but said you have to bring port investment to Nigeria. So that’s another area we’re looking at. Renewables, that’s another area. So lots of investment opportunities in Nigeria. You just have to be serious about making the right moves.”
His remarks come as Nigeria continues efforts to court global investors, leveraging reforms aimed at stabilising the economy, diversifying revenue sources, and boosting infrastructure development.
Melissa Enoch
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