NES#32: FG to assess what’s working in Nigeria’s economy
By Gabriel Ewepu
The Federal Government, Wednesday, through the Federal Ministry of Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, said the the 32nd edition of the Nigerian Economic Summit tagged NES#32 will be used to examine what is working in the economy.
This was stated by the Minister of State for National Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite in a speech delivered at the World Press Conference on the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit organised by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, NESG, in Abuja, from the 26th-27th October, 2026 with theme ‘Growth that Works: Delivering Jobs, Productivity and Shared Prosperity’.
Uzoka-Anite while acknowledging the impact of the previous editions of the Summit said the recommendations by the NESG have been implemented while others are on the way.
She also urged the media to project the Summit as it has been doing in past editions, which had really informed the government, stakeholders and Nigerians.
She said the media is not just for publicity but are the arrowheads of the Summit, and added that all aspects of the Summit need to be critically reported for further actions.
She said: “The Nigerian Economic Summit provides a unique opportunity to examine what is working within our economy, identify the gaps that remain and develop practical and implementable recommendations for accelerating economic transformation.
“The summit brings together the country’s leading policymakers, business leaders, economists, academics, development partners, labor representatives, civil society organizations and other stakeholders to deliberate on the challenges confronting our economy and, more importantly, the opportunities before us.
“The ultimate objective is to move Nigeria from potential to prosperity by ensuring that economic policies and reforms translate into tangible improvements in the lives and livelihoods of Nigerians.”
Meanwhile, she said the Summit will also be organised around five key priorities: Work Nigeria – creating more and better jobs for our people; Produce Nigeria – increasing productivity, promoting industrialisation, and strengthening value addition; Invest
Nigeria – attracting investment while developing our human capital through education, healthcare, and social development; Scale Nigeria – unlocking the potential of our states and sub-national governments to drive inclusive and sustainable growth; and Secure Nigeria – strengthening national security and building the resilience needed to withstand economic and other shocks.
Earlier, the Chairman, Central Working Organizing Committee,
NES#32, Dr Aisha Umar, in a remark, said for over three decades, the Nigerian Economic Summit has brought together stakeholders under roof to confront Nigeria’s defining economic questions.
According to Umar, “NES#32 asks one profound question: how do we ensure growth translates into productive enterprises, decent jobs and rising incomes — not just stronger GDP numbers?”
However, she acknowledged that, “Nigeria’s reforms over the past three years — subsidy removal, exchange-rate unification, fiscal restructuring and bank recapitalisation — have begun to restore macroeconomic discipline, improve external buffers and revive investor confidence. These are real achievements. But stabilisation is necessary; it is not sufficient.
“The question before Nigeria has therefore shifted from restoring stability to converting it into transformation. The next phase must strengthen the transmission from reform to investment, investment to productivity, productivity to jobs, and jobs to shared prosperity. That is the growth that works.”
She also added that, “This is urgent: Nigeria still faces high production costs, infrastructure deficits, low productivity and insecurity, with over 90 per cent of employment informal. The task is not to grow faster, but to grow differently — raising productivity and creating jobs at scale.
“A fragmenting global economy brings both risk and opportunity. Nigeria’s large market, resources, youthful population and position within AfCFTA give it real advantages — but only if we can produce efficiently and attract productive capital.”
Meanwhile, according to the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, NESG, Dr Tayo Aduloju, 10 governors would participate during the Summit including local governments and the judiciary.
He also spoke on the impact of the NES on policies after 33 years of active and fruitful engagements with policy makers in both public and private sectors of the economy, which had led to reforms in the telecom industry, pensions, tax, and among others.
The post NES#32: FG to assess what’s working in Nigeria’s economy appeared first on Vanguard News.