The Director-General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Jobson Ewalefoh, has declared Nigeria open for business and ready for global partnerships, urging both local and international investors to tap into the country’s vast infrastructure investment opportunities.
Ewalefoh made the appeal during his opening remarks at the Nigeria Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Summit 2025 held on Tuesday in Abuja. He stressed that Nigeria’s current infrastructure deficit, estimated at over $2.3 trillion, presents one of the most attractive investment landscapes in Africa.
“Nigeria is open for business and more importantly, ready for partnership. With over 200 million people, a growing middle class, rich natural endowments, and an enormous infrastructure gap estimated at over $2.3 trillion, the case for PPPs in Nigeria is not only compelling, it is urgent,” he said.
The summit, themed “Unlocking Nigeria’s Potential: The Role of Public-Private Partnerships in Delivering the Renewed Hope Agenda,” was convened to bring together stakeholders from both the public and private sectors, civil society, and development partners to strengthen collaboration, improve project delivery, and refine frameworks for infrastructure development through PPPs.
Ewalefoh described the event as more than a gathering of stakeholders but a “rallying call for transformation” and “a bridge between national aspirations and tangible development.”
He highlighted President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda” as a bold policy shift that places infrastructure at the centre of Nigeria’s development strategy, using PPPs not just as a financing tool but as a governance model that fosters innovation, efficiency, and transparency.
“Your administration has demonstrated uncommon courage in embracing PPPs, not merely as a funding mechanism but as a governance model that rewards innovation, efficiency and accountability,” he said.
He also cited ongoing PPP projects that reflect the success of this model under the Tinubu administration. These include the Highway Development and Management Initiative, the MediPool medical infrastructure project, the Ikere Gorge Dam revitalisation, the Borokiri Fishing Terminal, and the MEMS platform for energy efficiency.
“These projects are a clear sign that the Renewed Hope Agenda is no longer a vision deferred,” he added.
According to Ewalefoh, the ICRC is committed to making Nigeria an attractive and secure destination for infrastructure investments by aligning regulation with facilitation and combining compliance with collaboration.
“At the ICRC, we are committed to ensuring that every PPP transaction is not just legally sound, but economically viable and socially impactful,” he said.
He assured current and prospective investors of full institutional support throughout all stages of project development—from concept to financial close.
The ICRC boss explained that the summit was designed to help de-risk PPP investments, improve institutional alignment, and drive capacity-building for more bankable projects.
Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit has been identified as a major obstacle to economic growth, affecting sectors such as transportation, energy, health, and water supply. With dwindling public finances, the government is increasingly turning to the private sector to bridge the funding gap through structured PPP arrangements.
The summit attracted participation from government agencies, multilateral institutions, private investors, and development finance organisations, all of whom echoed the need for clear frameworks, risk mitigation tools, and sustained policy commitment to scale up infrastructure delivery.
