The Federal Government has unveiled a major fiscal blueprint aimed at accelerating economic growth, mobilising investments and creating more jobs in 2026, as part of a coordinated effort to stimulate rapid economic development and reposition Nigeria for long-term expansion.
The strategy document indicated that the government would focus on key policies and priorities as the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu advances into the second wave of reforms focused squarely on unleashing accelerated economic growth, productivity, and capital formation. The reforms are designed to move beyond short-term stabilization and lay the foundation for sustained expansion driven by private investment and higher domestic output.
Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, in a statement issued yesterday, said the Federal Ministry of Finance would serve as the anchor for the comprehensive Growth Acceleration and Investment Mobilization Strategy. According to her, the approach is intended to strengthen macroeconomic stability while positioning Nigeria as a premier destination for long-term foreign direct investment.
She explained that the government sees 2026 as a turning point for the economy. According to her, Nigeria will move from a period of economic stabilization into a phase of expansion driven by higher production, deeper value creation, and stronger investor confidence. She said the objective is to place the economy on a credible and measurable path toward a one trillion dollar Gross Domestic Product by 2036.
Uzoka-Anite said the one trillion dollar GDP target would be pursued through the creation of an open, export-oriented economy supported by strong domestic aggregate demand. She added that the strategy also places emphasis on domesticating key supply chains, ensuring that raw materials, labour, and intellectual property are sourced competitively from within the country in line with the Nigeria First Policy launched by President Tinubu.
“Our focus is to move decisively from stabilization to growth,” she said. “The reforms underway are designed to lower risk, unlock private capital, and ensure that Nigeria delivers sustainable returns for investors while expanding opportunity for our citizens.”
She outlined that the 2026 economic resurgence strategy is anchored on three core principles considered critical to building investor confidence. These principles include macroeconomic predictability, clear and well-defined sectoral investment pathways, and disciplined policy execution across government institutions.
According to her, the strategy prioritises the creation of a stable and transparent economic environment where inflation trends, exchange rates, and fiscal policies are consistent enough to reduce uncertainty for investors and businesses. She noted that clearly defined priority sectors will be supported by articulated strategies, incentives, and regulations that guide investors on where and how to deploy capital efficiently.
She added that policy credibility would depend heavily on consistent and timely implementation. According to her, policies will be implemented as designed, without abrupt reversals or weak enforcement, in order to build trust and confidence among domestic and foreign investors.
Uzoka-Anite explained that key policy and investment priorities for 2026 include stronger policy coordination to anchor stability and reduce risk premiums, a sector-led growth strategy to unlock private capital, accelerated capital formation, expanded access to finance and financial inclusion, and a more strategic role for Development Finance Institutions.
She said the Federal Ministry of Finance will maintain close and institutionalised coordination with the Central Bank of Nigeria to support disinflation, exchange rate stability, and orderly credit conditions. According to her, fiscal and monetary alignment will remain central to reducing macroeconomic volatility and restoring Nigeria’s investment-grade fundamentals over the medium term.
“Federal Ministry of Finance accepts as a baseline the macroeconomic forecast published by the Central Bank of Nigeria on December 30, 2025, regarding the Nigeria Economy Outlook,” she said.
She added that the government’s broader objective is to lower inflation expectations, compress sovereign risk premiums, and reduce the cost of capital for both public and private investment. According to her, the coordinated policy approach is captured in the Disinflation and Growth Acceleration Strategy document co-sponsored by the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Finance, and the Federal Inland Revenue Service, now known as the Nigeria Revenue Service.
“Nigeria will pursue a sector driven growth model that combines export expansion with rising domestic demand,” she said. “Our work will focus on dismantling various barriers to growth and infusing a willing buyer, willing seller philosophy in sectoral policy frameworks and regulations.”
She explained that price controls and restraints on volume or market access would be stripped away to enable the full potential of priority sectors to emerge and allow entrepreneurial capital to flourish. According to her, the identified priority sectors include energy and gas-based industrialisation and related infrastructure, agribusiness and food value chains, manufacturing and light industry, housing and urban infrastructure, healthcare and life sciences, digital services and technology-enabled trade, creative and tourism industries, logistics and distribution networks to support export trade, and solid minerals and critical metals.
Uzoka-Anite said federal ministries, state governments, and development partners will align around a common investment thesis built on policy clarity, bankable projects, and the rapid removal of regulatory barriers. She said sector-specific working groups will be established to fast-track reforms and build investment pipelines capable of absorbing large-scale domestic and foreign capital.
“For example, in partnership with key stakeholders, public and private, Nigeria will work to rebuild its cocoa growing, processing and export capabilities,” she said. “This will allow us to sharply boost non-oil commodity income while meeting end-market requirements such as European Union rules over the coming years.”
She said the Federal Government will advance targeted reforms to deepen Nigeria’s capital and insurance markets as engines of long-term investment and risk mitigation. According to her, priority actions include expanding long-tenor local currency instruments, improving market liquidity and transparency, and strengthening investor protections to support infrastructure, housing, and productive sector financing.
She added that emphasis will be placed on expanding retail capital mobilisation through the growth of investment accounts, both to attract capital and ensure that citizens participate in expected market gains. She said regulatory reforms will encourage greater participation by pension funds, insurance companies, and institutional investors in capital markets.
“In parallel, insurance market reforms will focus on recapitalisation, improved supervision, and expanded coverage to better manage economic and climate-related risks,” she said. “A stronger insurance sector will enhance creditworthiness, reduce project risk, and improve the overall investment climate by providing reliable risk transfer mechanisms for domestic and foreign investors.”
Uzoka-Anite described capital formation as central to Nigeria’s growth acceleration strategy and its ability to achieve the desired GDP growth in 2026. She said the government’s approach is focused on expanding the supply of long-term, patient capital, reducing investment risk, and ensuring efficient allocation of funds to productive sectors of the economy.
She said the government will deploy blended finance instruments, credit enhancements, and first-loss capital in partnership with bilateral and multilateral development finance institutions to lower project risk and improve bankability. According to her, these mechanisms are designed to crowd in domestic institutional investors and foreign direct investment by aligning public capital with private return expectations.
“To ensure that growth is broad-based and that capital reaches the last mile of the economy, the Federal Government will prioritise the expansion of consumer credit and financial inclusion as a core pillar of its growth strategy,” she said.
She explained that deeper access to affordable credit for households, microenterprises, and informal sector participants will support domestic demand, improve productivity, and translate macroeconomic reforms into tangible welfare gains.
“We will deepen product design, regulatory and go to market partnerships with the Central Bank of Nigeria, commercial banks, microfinance institutions, fintechs, and credit guarantee schemes,” she said. “That will enable the market to deploy innovative, targeted risk-sharing instruments, wholesale funding lines, and digital credit infrastructure to expand responsible consumer lending on an industrial scale.”
She added that emphasis will be placed on enabling and supporting responsible use of credit among first-time borrowers, women- and youth-led enterprises, and underserved communities. According to her, the objective is to build a non-inflationary, repayable expansion of credit that supports inclusive growth.
Uzoka-Anite said the Federal Ministry of Finance will take over the development finance quasi-fiscal responsibility of the Central Bank of Nigeria and will develop a comprehensive guideline for implementing a forward-looking development finance strategy. She said Development Finance Institutions will play a critical and catalytic role in executing the Growth Acceleration and Investment Mobilization Strategy.
“Given the scale of Nigeria’s growth ambition and the need to crowd in long-term, patient capital estimated at N246 trillion through 2036, the Federal Government recognises DFIs as essential partners in de-risking priority sectors, anchoring private sector investor confidence, and mobilising large volumes of private capital at scale,” she said.
She explained that DFIs bring long-tenor financing, concessional instruments, technical expertise, and risk-sharing capacity that are critical to unlocking investment in sectors where market failures persist despite strong fundamentals. According to her, these sectors include infrastructure, energy transition, agribusiness value chains, healthcare, climate-resilient industries, and digital public infrastructure.
“Strengthening Nigeria’s domestic development financial institutions will signal the country’s capacity and seriousness to investors,” she said. “Domestic DFIs, including the Bank of Industry and the Nigerian Export-Import Bank, will anchor financing and risk-sharing frameworks across priority sectors and act as policy execution tools.”
Uzoka-Anite said that to support fiscal sustainability without distorting growth, the government will strengthen non-oil revenue performance through improved compliance, digital revenue systems, and enhanced transparency across federal agencies. She said the Ministry of Finance will continue to review revenue generation efforts in 2026 using a mix of sources.
“We are optimistic that with the new Federal Tax Laws, effective as of January 1, 2026, royalties, taxes, tariffs, fees, and related line items will be vigorously collected and remitted to the Treasury Single Account,” she said.
She announced that the new federal Revenue Optimization Platform will be rolled out across the federation and MDAs starting January 1, 2026. According to her, the system integrates all revenue-generating mechanisms of the Federal Government.
“Integrated into the Revenue Optimization Platform are additional instruments such as the use of Electronic Receipts, which will now become the sole acceptable proof of payment for all federal services and products,” she said. “From railway tickets to birth certificates to customs duties, only the electronic receipt template is legal as of January 1, 2026.”
She added that the system is expected to provide sharper visibility on daily revenue collection, use of cash, and overall effectiveness in managing federal resources.
Uzoka-Anite said the government will deepen coordination with NNPC and oil and gas regulators to strengthen revenue mobilisation, transparency, and fiscal accountability across the value chain. According to her, the collaboration will respect the autonomy of NNPC Limited and the regulatory independence of sector regulators, while reinforcing the Ministry of Finance’s role in revenue assurance and remittance discipline.
“For better oil and gas revenue assurance and fiscal transparency, we will also work with line MDAs to review key constraints to further growth in oil and gas, including pricing and domestic supply obligations that are acting as restraints to capital expansion in gas supply,” she said. “The fundamental principle of willing buyer, willing seller will guide our deliberations and policy stance.”
She said that beginning in early 2026, the government will intensify engagement with domestic and international investors, Development Finance Institutions, and multilateral partners through structured investment dialogues, co-financing platforms, and sector-specific initiatives.
“The private sector, domestic and global, will be at the heart of our transformation; government’s role is to catalyse and solve problems,” she said.
She announced plans to establish a central investor desk housed within the Federal Ministry of Finance to serve as a single and coordinated interface between government and investors, DFIs, credit rating agencies, and market analysts.
“The core function will be to ensure consistent communication, timely disclosure, and proactive engagement around the country’s macroeconomic outlook, policy reforms, investment priorities, and execution progress,” she said.
She added that these engagements will focus on building robust investment pipelines, deploying blended finance solutions, and accelerating the execution of bankable projects across priority sectors.
“That desk will also coordinate closely with the DGAS team that is implementing our central investment thesis to build a private sector-led economy,” she said. “We will operationalise DGAS implementation and launch the development finance strategy with the Central Bank of Nigeria and other partners in the first quarter of 2026, to give greater clarity to the policy implementation pathways.”
Uzoka-Anite said the administration believes leadership is measured by the courage to reform and the capacity to deliver results. According to her, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria has chosen the path of difficult but necessary reforms to secure lasting economic stability and shared prosperity.
She said that in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda, the reforms are tools to expand opportunity, restore confidence, and improve the everyday lives of Nigerians. According to her, as investment is mobilised, jobs are created, and growth becomes more broad-based, the government remains accountable to the Nigerian people, stressing that consistent delivery, transparent governance, and inclusive progress are the true foundations of democratic trust and national renewal.
