Nigeria has stepped up engagement with the World Bank in a renewed push to stabilise power supply, strengthen agriculture and improve trade flows, as the Federal Government seeks to build a more productive and competitive economy anchored on private investment and job creation.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, held talks in Abuja with the Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank Group, Anna Bjerde, during a visit that underscored growing international confidence in the country’s reform agenda.
At the meeting, both sides explored areas of collaboration, including the expansion of reliable electricity, acceleration of digital infrastructure, agricultural productivity and measures to ease trade and unlock large-scale private sector investment.
A statement from the Ministry of Finance on Thursday said the discussions reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s economic direction, noting that recent policy actions were beginning to generate momentum across key sectors of the economy.
Edun said the administration’s overriding priority was to create an enabling environment where capital could flow, businesses could expand and Nigerians could secure meaningful employment.
According to the statement, Nigeria also reiterated its leadership ambitions in energy reform and its determination to position itself as a regional economic hub, a vision reinforced by Abuja’s status as host city to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Bjerde, on her part, welcomed what she described as Nigeria’s reform progress and clarity of purpose, observing that confidence among international markets and development partners was on the rise.
She reaffirmed the World Bank Group’s support for Nigeria’s investment-led growth strategy, with a particular focus on infrastructure delivery and deeper private sector participation.
Both parties agreed on the need to accelerate implementation of agreed reforms, attract capital at scale and expand economic opportunities for Nigeria’s growing population, as the country navigates its path towards sustained growth and competitiveness.
