IFC regional vice president to visit Nigeria for private sector engagement

Ethiopis Tafara, vice president for Africa at the International Finance Corporation (IFC)

Ethiopis Tafara, vice president for Africa at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), will visit Nigeria from January 29 to February 4, 2026, as part of IFC’s continued engagement to strengthen private sector development and investment-led growth in the country.

During the visit, Tafara will meet with senior government officials, private sector leaders, financial institutions, and development partners to discuss priorities for enhancing Nigeria’s investment climate, mobilising private capital, and expanding opportunities for inclusive and resilient economic growth.

Tafara will be accompanied by Dahlia Khalifa, IFC regional director for Nigeria and Central Africa, along with senior members of IFC’s regional and country leadership teams. Their participation reflects IFC’s integrated approach across investment and advisory services, including financial institutions, infrastructure, agribusiness, manufacturing, and services.

The visit will be marked by a set of strategic engagements reflecting International Finance Corporation’s priorities in Nigeria, spanning healthcare infrastructure, the creative and cultural economy, and public-private collaboration to strengthen the investment climate. These engagements underscore IFC’s continued focus on mobilising private capital, supporting enterprise growth, and advancing inclusive, investment-led economic development across key sectors of the Nigerian economy.

Nigeria is IFC’s second-largest exposure in Africa and among its 10 largest globally, with an active investment of $2.1 billion. Its investments span key sectors such as financial services, agribusiness, manufacturing, infrastructure, and energy, with a strong emphasis on local currency financing, climate finance, and SME development to drive inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

Hope Moses-Ashike

Hope Moses-Ashike is an Associate Editor, Banking and Finance, with more than a decade of experience reporting on Nigeria’s financial system and broader economy. She closely tracks market movements, monetary policy decisions, company disclosures, regulatory actions, economic indicators, and global developments, and interprets what they mean for businesses, investors, policymakers, and households. Her reporting helps readers understand complex issues such as inflation trends, foreign exchange market dynamics, interest rate decisions, bank performance, and investment risks. She also covers major international events and periodically travels to Washington, D.C., to report on the World Bank/IMF Spring and Annual Meetings. Her dedication to financial journalism has earned her multiple recognitions and invitations to high-level professional development programmes. She is an alumna of the International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) in the United States and holds an Advanced Financial Journalism Certificate from the Press Association Training in London, UK. Her other notable achievements include completing the Lagos Business School CMC Programme, the Bloomberg Media Africa Initiative Programme, and a Master Class in Journalism at Rhodes University in South Africa.