Oyedele, Cardoso, AfDB chief to headline BusinessDay’s 14th CEO forum

More than three years after President Bola Tinubu embarked on sweeping economic reforms, the officials driving Nigeria’s fiscal and monetary agenda will share one stage on Thursday as Taiwo Oyedele, the nation’s finance minister, Olayemi Cardoso, Central Bank of Nigeria governor and Abdul B. Kamara, country director of African Development Bank headline the 14th BusinessDay CEO Forum in Lagos.

The invitation-only event comes at a pivotal moment for Africa’s most populous economy as authorities seek to translate macroeconomic gains into shared prosperity for households and businesses who have endured sky high inflation and foreign exchange volatility.

Even though prices are cooling but remain elevated, interest rates are still restrictive, businesses continue to grapple with high financing costs and weak consumer demand, while investors are looking for evidence that macroeconomic stability can translate into stronger growth, investment and job creation.

Against that backdrop, the forum’s theme, “From Stability to Shared Prosperity”, captures what many economists see as the next test of Nigeria’s bold reform programme.

Oyedele, who now oversees Nigeria’s fiscal policy as finance minister, is expected to outline the government’s strategy for sustaining reforms, improving revenue mobilisation and creating a more competitive investment climate.

Cardoso, whose tight monetary stance has been central to the country’s disinflation efforts, will discuss the Central Bank’s policy direction and economic outlook during a fireside conversation before joining Oyedele for a public question-and-answer session.

Kamara’s participation reflects the growing role of development finance institutions in supporting Nigeria’s infrastructure and industrial ambitions as the government seeks to unlock private capital despite limited fiscal space.

The forum will also bring together top CEOs including Karl Toriola, chief executive officer of MTN Nigeria; Olasupo Olusi, managing director of the Bank of Industry; Bola Adesola, chairman of Ecobank Nigeria; Aminu Umar-Sadiq, managing director of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority; Lolu Alade-Akinyemi, group managing director and chief executive officer of HBM Nigeria (Lafarge).

Others include Effiong Okon, chief executive officer designate of Seplat Energy; Yomi Olugbenro, chief executive officer of Deloitte West Africa, alongside other leaders from manufacturing, technology, energy and finance, highlighting the forum’s role as one of Nigeria’s foremost platforms for dialogue between government and the private sector.