Tinubu to open directors’ confab for national development

President Bola Tinubu is set to open the 2026 Annual Directors’ Conference as special guest of honour. The conference is organised by the Chartered Institute of Directors Nigeria (CIoD) in Lagos.

It is slated for 10 and 11 November 2026 at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, with the theme: Reimagining the Boardroom for Inclusive and Sustainable National Prosperity in the New Economy. A former Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, who is now Chairman of Seplat Energy Plc, will deliver the keynote address.

Addressing journalists at its corporate headquarters in Lagos, the Chairman of the National Organising Committee (NOC), Dr Waheed Olagunju, confirmed that there will be a series of cross-fertilisation of ideas sessions by experts drawn from different disciplines.

According to him, a major discourse would be on Strategic Competitiveness Amid Fragmentation and Volatility in a Shifting Global Order, a session where field experts will do justice to the topic.

Other major topical issues for discourse are: Accelerating Entrepreneurial Growth through Governance, Capital Access and Market Expansion; and Board Accountability in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, which will consider the implications of artificial intelligence for board oversight and corporate responsibility.

Olagunju affirms that the brainstorming session would examine Boardrooms as Engines of Value Creation, Collaboration and Inclusion for Shared Prosperity.

Professionals to dissect these sub-themes are: the MD/CEO of Fidelity Bank Plc, Dr Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe; the ED/CEO of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Mrs Nonye Ayeni; and Dr Adesegun Akin-Olugbade, an international lawyer and development finance expert, formerly of the African Development Bank, African Export-Import Bank and Africa Finance Corporation.

Other resource persons are Mr Sunny Iroche, an AI strategist and former Senior Academic Visitor at the African Studies Centre, University of Oxford, and Ms Rabi Isma, Chairperson of ActionAid Nigeria (social entrepreneurship outfit).

The sessions will also feature leading academics like Dr Nneka Okekearu, Director of the Enterprise Development Centre, Pan-Atlantic University, and experienced moderators including Mrs Rolake Akinkugbe-Filani of Arise News, Mrs Nkem Begho, CEO of Futuresoft and Co-Founder of AI CoLab Africa,

Mrs Soromidayo George of Coca-Cola and Mrs Patricia Ifewulu, the Group Company Secretary and Chief Legal and Compliance Officer at Continental Reinsurance Plc, among others. The conference will extend beyond the formal sessions.

The chairman noted that the Golf Tournament at Ikoyi Club, scheduled for 5 November, will provide an opportunity for participants and members to interact in an informal setting ahead of the main event, while the Business Meets Government Dinner to be chaired by Dr Umaru Kwairanga, the Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group, will take place on Wednesday, 11 November.

Its thematic area is: ESG, Sustainability and the Climate Agenda, with the sub-theme Building a $1 Trillion Economy Through Sustainable Capital and Governance. This is in support of the Federal Government’s vision of growing the Nigerian economy to $1 trillion by 2030, the institute reiterates.

“The National Organising Committee is particularly focused on ensuring that the conference provides meaningful opportunities for exchanges between directors, business and government leaders as well as other stakeholders,” he added.

In an address, the President and Chairman of the Governing Council of CIoD, Mr Otunba Oyebanji, said with the inevitable changes in the corporate world, it is absolutely necessary for boards to continually examine how they provide leadership, oversight and direction.

Oyebanji assured that the 2026 ADC will provide a platform for directors, business leaders, policymakers, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders to discuss the issues that are shaping the boardroom and the wider economy.

“Our programme will address areas including strategic competitiveness, entrepreneurial growth, capital access, artificial intelligence, board accountability, value creation, collaboration and inclusion.

“The experience of our guests and experts across banking, investment, technology, entrepreneurship, professional services and other sectors will bring practical dimensions to the discussions,” he averred.

Lending his voice, Dr Taiwo Nolas-Alausa, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the institute, believes that the CIoD conference is an important platform for bringing directors and other stakeholders together to examine issues that affect the quality of leadership, governance and decision-making in organisations, not just the institute.

Nolas-Alausa maintains that the theme speaks to the need for corporate leaders to remain responsive to changes affecting business and society.

“The new economy presents both opportunities and responsibilities. Artificial intelligence is changing how organisations operate. Entrepreneurs require access to capital and markets.

“Boards are expected to pay greater attention to sustainability and responsible business practices. At the same time, organisations must remain competitive and accountable.

“These issues require informed conversations among those responsible for providing strategic direction and oversight. That is what the institute seeks to facilitate through this year’s conference.

“We are particularly pleased that the programme brings together voices from the private sector, government-facing institutions, technology, finance, entrepreneurship and professional services,” he added.

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