The UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has designed a programme to accelerate industrial growth by streamlining the connection between manufacturers and investors. By identifying and actively removing the various barriers that hinder successful deal flow, the programme is acting as a crucial intermediary, ensuring manufacturing businesses are presented with investment opportunities and vice versa.
The FCDO-funded Manufacturing Africa (MA) programme, in collaboration with the Private Equity and Venture Capital Association of Nigeria (PEVCA), which held on Tuesday, October 5, hosted an Investor Showcase and Roundtable aimed at connecting Nigerian entrepreneurs in the manufacturing sector with leading investors.
Tunji Shekoni, principal CardinalStone Capital Advisers said the programme provided a value chain approach to due diligence.
A key highlight was a roundtable discussion featuring FCDO representatives to explore how insights from the private capital ecosystem can shape the design of future investment programmes, ensuring they are more impactful and aligned with market needs.
“ Manufacturing Africa supported with a number of things across the deal execution stage, we were going to do due diligence on this business in three key areas. One was market study, supply chain review, and third was around Environment, Social Governance. All of which they did extensive work on,” Shekoni said at the FCDO roundtable discussion.
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The event, held in Lagos themed “Aligning Vision with Capital”, presented a curated pipeline of investment-ready companies to investors while creating a platform for dialogue on how to enhance capital flows into Nigerian manufacturing.
High-potential businesses across health, FMCG, energy, and agriculture, supported by Manufacturing Africa, presented their investment opportunities to a room of investors, showcasing innovative solutions that are driving industrial transformation across the country. Some of the investors are: CardinalStone, Uhuru Capital, Kuramo Capital, Sahel Capital, Afrinvest, and many others.
“Manufacturing Africa is excited to host its maiden investor engagement forum in Lagos. We believe that by showcasing some of the most exciting growth businesses, we will be able to support win-wins from a development perspective. Investment in Nigeria’s manufacturing sector will drive good-quality jobs, which is good for the country’s growth and its people. Meanwhile, investors will also meet firms operating in a growth market with a young population and significant domestic demand.” Thomas Pascoe, Manufacturing Africa program Team Leader, said.
Manufacturing Africa (MA) is a UK government (FCDO) funded programme that aims to contribute to Africa’s economic transformation by attracting £1.2 billion of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into African manufacturing and create 90,000 jobs in the sector by 2026. As of July 2025, they have already helped companies close £2 billion of foreign direct investment and create 100,000+ jobs. MA has helped mobilize $450 million in investment into Nigeria’s manufacturing sector, supported 45 manufacturing companies and contributed to the creation of 38,000 jobs across the country.
“At PEVCA, we recognise that Nigeria’s manufacturing sector holds enormous potential, but unlocking that potential requires sustained collaboration between investors, entrepreneurs, and policymakers. This Showcase demonstrates what is possible when barriers are reduced and credible opportunities are brought to market. We are proud to partner with Manufacturing Africa to accelerate capital flows into Nigerian manufacturing, and remain committed to advocating for the policies and platforms that enable private capital to thrive,” Anna Evi-Parker, Executive Secretary, Private Equity and Venture Capital Association of Nigeria (PEVCA).
