$100bn Annual Diaspora Investment Possible With Better Resource Coordination – NIDCOM

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has assured that with adequate harnessing of resources the annual investments of Nigerians in the Diaspora could hit a record of $100 billion, and boost the Nigerian economy significantly.

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NiDCOM, Dr. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, made this known during a press conference on Friday in Abuja, ahead the 9th Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit (NDIS) 2026 scheduled for November 10 and 11, 2026 in Abuja with focus on addressing the challenges limiting diaspora investments in the country.

The NIDCOM boss, who was represented by the Acting Secretary of the commission Hon. Abdulrahman Terab, said further that the commission and its partners will pay more attention to issues concerning trust deficit, transparency and access to credible investment opportunities.

The summit with the theme “Bridging the Trust Gap: Connecting Diaspora Capital with Credible Home-Based Opportunities,” is a platform where Nigerians in the Diaspora will join government institutions, financial regulators, investors, business owners and project developers to explore investment opportunities across critical sectors of the economy.

The former Lagos lawmaker assured that Nigeria’s diaspora are imbued with immense talents, skills and expertise in diverse fields coupled with their financial power, entrepreneurial acumen professional and intellectual prowess that can make valuable contribution to the country and help in realizing the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu on building a $1trillion economy.

She described the diaspora as a major economic resource whose contributions must extend beyond remittances to direct investments in productive sectors of the economy.

“The Nigerian Diaspora Investment alone, if harnessed to its full potentials, can measure up to 100 billion Dollars every year as inflow into the Nigerian Economy,” she said.

She however, acknowledged the fact that lack of transparency, inadequate investor protection, unreliable information and weak institutional confidence, have posed serious challenges and discouraged many Nigerians abroad from investing in their home country.

She said “attracting Diaspora capital required more than presenting investment opportunities. The prospective investors must be assured of credible institutions, transparent processes, effective regulations and adequate protection for their investments.

“Unlocking the full potential of diaspora investment requires more than just showcasing opportunities. It demands transparency, robust investor protection, credible institutions, reliable information, and effective regulatory frameworks,” she said.

Dabiri-Erewa, who appreciated the First Bank of Nigeria and other partners for their commitments, explained that the 2026 summit would provide a platform for prospective investors to engage directly with government institutions, regulators, investment agencies and project sponsors to obtain first-hand information on investment procedures, compliance requirements and available safeguards.

She said the two-day programme would feature three major thematic areas covering capital market opportunities, infrastructure investment and regulatory frameworks.

Institutions expected to participate include the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), alongside capital market operators and investment advisers.

Speaking through virtual means, the Coordinator of the Nigeria Diaspora Summit Initiative (NDSI), Mr Mobolaji Lewis, pointed out that the summit was designed to ensure that the financial and professional resources of Nigerians abroad were channelled into credible investment opportunities that would deliver measurable economic benefits.

Lewis noted that while the Nigerian diaspora had enormous resources capable of supporting national development, building confidence among prospective investors remained essential to unlocking their full potential.

He stressed that trust, transparency, credible institutions, reliable information and effective investor protection must form the foundation of efforts to attract diaspora investments.

“Our objective is not simply to attract the diaspora capital, but to ensure that such capital is connected to credible, transparent, and properly structured investment opportunities,” he said.

He called on Nigerians in the Diaspora, business associations, professionals, institutional investors, entrepreneurs and project developers to participate in the two-day engagement.