Amid huge expectations, the 9th edition of theStandard Bank West Africa Investors’ Conference is set to hold in Abuja and Lagos, bringing together foreign and local institutional investors, fund managers, regulators and policy makers, bankers, businessmen and captains of industry, among others to engage and explore growth potential and opportunities in Nigeria.
The four-day event, themed “The Pathway towards inclusive economic recovery”, will run from February 27 – March 2, 2018, with Stanbic IBTC and Standard Bank officials leading a delegation of investors on a visit to the Minister of Power, Works & Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola; Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu; Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele; and the World Bank. Similar visits were made to the Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo SAN, the Central Bank of Nigeria, Debt Management Office, and other key stakeholders and policymakers in Abuja, during last year’s edition. This year’s edition will be capped with a factory visit to the newly commissioned $17million Kelloggs Tolaram plant, to showcase one of the most recent private sector led capital investments in the Nigerian economy.
Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, Yinka Sanni, said underlining the conference is the organization’s conviction about Nigeria’s growth potential, which it would be steadfast in deploying its international connections to ensure an increased inflow of foreign capital into Nigeria. This, he stated, requires putting before the global audience crucial information about the economy to aid their investment decisions.
Agriculture, mining, infrastructure, oil & gas and power re some of the key sectors of interest at the event, which is expected to attract institutional investors from across the globe who will meet with most of the top rated corporate companies in West Africa, Sanni said.
“Besides the direct impact which these exchanges will make on the Nigerian economy, the conference will provide both local and international investors with opportunities to meet with some of the companies they have investments in, or in which they hope to make investments. It will also serve as a bridge to connect these investors to opportunities inherent in Nigeria, which has been opened up for private sector participation,” Sanni said, and further stated, “Stanbic IBTC is particularly pleased to note that there have been movements in key sectors of the economy in terms of investment activities.”
Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC is a full service financial services group with a clear focus on three main business pillars – Corporate and Investment Banking, Personal and Business Banking and Wealth Management. Standard Bank Group, to which Stanbic IBTC Holdings belongs, is the largest African Bank by assets and market capitalization. It is rooted in Africa with strategic representation in 20 countries on the African continent, including South Africa. Standard Bank has been in operation for over 154 years and is focused on building first-class, on-the-ground financial services institution in chosen countries in Africa and connecting selected emerging markets to Africa by applying sector expertise, particularly in natural resources, power and infrastructure.