The Impact Investors Foundation (IIF) is seeking greater participation from Nigeria’s institutional investors in financing businesses capable of driving economic growth, creating jobs and delivering measurable social and environmental benefits.
The foundation is set to bring investors, policymakers and other stakeholders together in Lagos for its ninth Annual Convening on Impact Investing, scheduled for November 25 and 26.
The event, themed “Unlocking Institutional Capital for Nigeria’s Impact Economy,” will explore practical strategies for directing more domestic institutional funds into investment-ready businesses and sectors considered critical to Nigeria’s long-term development.
IIF said the country has substantial pools of institutional capital, including pension assets, insurance funds, sovereign investment vehicles, development finance, banks, endowments and wholesale investment structures.
However, the foundation noted that only a limited share of these resources currently finds its way into enterprises capable of generating significant economic, social and environmental impact.
According to the organisation, the challenge is not simply the availability of capital but also the policies, investment structures, market infrastructure and pipeline of suitable businesses required to attract institutional funding at scale.
The Lagos forum will therefore examine ways to strengthen domestic capital mobilisation policies, improve investment strategies and deal structures, expand the pipeline of investment-ready enterprises and build capacity across the impact-investing ecosystem.
A major component of the programme will be curated deal rooms, where selected small and medium-sized enterprises will have opportunities to engage directly with institutional and impact investors.
The event will also mark the formal unveiling of the rebranded Nigerian Impact Economy Community (NIEC), which is expected to bring together stakeholders from the public, private and development sectors around a shared agenda for expanding Nigeria’s impact economy.
Other areas scheduled for discussion include climate resilience, the creative economy, investment readiness and strategy, as well as the application of artificial intelligence to environmental, social and governance risk assessment.
Chief Executive Officer of IIF, Etemore Glover, said the magnitude of Nigeria’s development needs made it necessary for institutional investors to play a more significant role in financing the real economy.
Glover acknowledged that conversations around institutional capital and development had yielded some progress but questioned whether the pace was sufficient given the scale of Nigeria’s challenges and economic opportunities.
She said the 2026 gathering would place institutional investors at the centre of discussions on how to build a stronger and more sustainable impact economy.
The Annual Convening has over the past eight years provided a platform for participants in Nigeria’s impact-investing ecosystem to exchange ideas, assess market developments and develop strategies for mobilising domestic capital towards inclusive and sustainable growth.
The 2026 edition will also feature the IIF Annual Impact Investing Awards, which recognise individuals and organisations making measurable contributions to social and environmental development through impact investment.
Award categories include Impact Investor of the Year, Social Enterprise of the Year and the Innocent Chukwuma Award for Social Impact.
