News Investigators/ The Federal Government says the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit (NES#32) will focus on job creation, boosting productivity and promoting shared prosperity.
The Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Doris Uzoka-Anite, disclosed this at a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja.
She said that the summit was scheduled for Oct. 26 and Oct. 27 in Abuja, with the theme, “Growth that Works: Delivering Jobs, Productivity and Shared Prosperity”.
Mrs Uzoka-Anite said that the NES#32 would provide a platform for government, private sector, labour, academia and other stakeholders to develop practical solutions.
The minister said the summit would build consensus around policies capable of translating economic growth into productive employment and improved living standards.
She said discussions would centre on productivity, human capital and resilience, alongside digital transformation, political economy, transparency and accountability.
Mrs Uzoka-Anite said that the summit would also address macroeconomic stability and strategies for strengthening Nigeria’s economic resilience.
She identified five thematic areas for the summit as Work Nigeria, Produce Nigeria, Invest Nigeria, Scale Nigeria and Secure Nigeria.
She said that work Nigeria would focus on creating more and better employment opportunities for Nigerians.
According to her, produce Nigeria will seek to boost productivity, industrialisation and value addition across key sectors of the economy.
“Invest Nigeria will focus on attracting investment while strengthening human capital through education, healthcare and social development.
“Scale Nigeria will unlock the economic potential of states and sub-national governments for balanced and inclusive growth.
“Secure Nigeria will focus on national security, economic resilience and the country’s capacity to withstand internal and external shocks,” she said.
Mrs Uzoka-Anite said that the summit’s objectives included driving sustainable growth through agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure and the digital economy.
She said that the summit would also seek to improve productivity and competitiveness through infrastructure, innovation, skills development and regulatory efficiency.
The minister said that strengthening Nigeria’s investment climate remained critical to attracting domestic and foreign investment.
She said that several recommendations from NES#31 were already reflected in ongoing government policies and reforms.
“The Federal Government is finalising the National Development Plan 2026–2030 to strengthen alignment between development planning and annual budgets.
“HHOPE-GOV is also supporting results-based monitoring and quarterly reporting to improve implementation and accountability,” she said.
“On industrialisation, government unveiled the Nigeria Industrial Policy in Februaryp, prioritising agro-processing, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles and technology-driven industries.
“The government is also strengthening infrastructure development through public-private partnerships and private-capital mobilisation,” she said.
She said that the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning and the International Finance Corporation signed an agreement in February.
According to her, the agreement seeks to develop a pipeline of bankable PPP projects in transport, energy, information and communication technology and sanitation.
Mrs Uzoka-Anite said the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission had reported more than 97 PPP projects valued at over nine trillion Naira.
She said that these initiatives demonstrated progress in translating recommendations from NES#31 into government programmes and reforms.
The minister said several pre-summit events had also been organised to deepen stakeholder engagement ahead of NES#32.
She listed them as “The Missing Link: From Learning to Earning”; “From Commitments to Green Growth”; “Digital Nigeria: The Foundation for Transformation”, and “Unlocking Sustainable FDI for Productivity and Shared Prosperity.”
Mrs Uzoka-Anite said that the NES, for more than three decades, served as a platform for dialogue on Nigeria’s economic development.
She said that the summit brought together policymakers, business leaders, economists, academics, development partners, labour representatives and civil society organisations.
Mrs Uzoka-Anite said the ultimate goal of NES#32 was to move Nigeria from potential to prosperity by ensuring that reforms improved citizens’ livelihoods.
The minister also urged the media to go beyond ceremonial coverage and report substantive discussions, data, debates, recommendations and commitments from the summit.
She said effective media coverage would help Nigerians understand decisions reached, required actions, responsible institutions and mechanisms for measuring progress.
The Chief Executive Officer NESG, Tayo Adeloju, urged the Nigerian government to convert recent economic reforms into investment, productivity, jobs and shared prosperity.
He said that the reforms, including subsidy removal, exchange-rate unification, fiscal restructuring and bank recapitalisation, had helped restore macroeconomic stability.
Mr Adeloju said that stabilisation was necessary but insufficient, stressing the need to translate reforms into productive investments, increased productivity and decent jobs.
According to him, Nigeria still faces high production costs, infrastructure deficits, low productivity and insecurity, while over 90 per cent of employment remains informal.
He said NES#32 would focus on five priorities: Work Nigeria, Produce Nigeria, Invest Nigeria, Scale Nigeria and Secure Nigeria.
Mr Adeloju said that the priorities would address employment, industrialisation, investment, balanced economic growth and security as an economic imperative.
He said that the summit would strengthen government-private sector partnership and develop an actionable pathway from economic stabilisation to investment-, productivity- and jobs-led growth.
He urged the media to sustain the conversation and hold government and businesses accountable for their commitments.
“The success of NES#32 will be measured by better policies, stronger businesses and improved livelihoods, ” he said.
NAN
