Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), has urged Nigerians abroad and at home to take advantage of growing investment opportunities in the country through the Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit (NDIS), which recorded over ₦673 million worth of diaspora-driven investment deals in 2024.
Speaking at a joint world press conference ahead of the 2025 edition of the Summit, scheduled to hold from November 11–13 in Abuja, Dabiri-Erewa said the event has become a credible platform for channeling diaspora investments into productive sectors of Nigeria’s economy.
The 2025 Summit, themed “Fast Tracking Regional & National Development by Mobilising Diaspora Investment”, will be hosted at the NiDCOM Headquarters in Abuja.
According to her, the Summit, which began in 2018 has evolved into a trusted mechanism for facilitating direct and impactful investments from the Nigerian diaspora, linking global investors with local entrepreneurs and projects.
“NDIS has grown beyond being just a conference; it is now a catalyst for enterprise and sustainable development.
“It has fostered job creation, youth empowerment, and connected Nigeria’s enormous talent pool to the country’s development agenda”, she said.
Reviewing the 2024 edition, Dabiri-Erewa disclosed that the event attracted over 1,500 participants, including 236 investors and 1,197 business owners.
“The Summit yielded 56 investment deals valued at about ₦673 million,” she noted, adding that the creative sector led with 39 deals, while infrastructure, real estate, agribusiness, and energy sectors also recorded significant traction.
She further commended several state governments, including Ondo, Nasarawa, and Borno, for leveraging previous Summits to attract investors and drive strategic development projects.
“A good example is Ondo State’s port initiative, which gained Federal Government approval after being pitched through the Summit,” she revealed.
The NiDCOM boss also announced that President Bola Tinubu will serve as the Special Guest of Honour at the 2025 edition, while appreciating long-standing partners such as the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA), the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), First Bank, NNPC Limited, AG Mortgage, and the media including BusinessDay for their continuous support.
Also speaking, Badewa Adejugbe-Williams, Chairperson of the Nigeria Diaspora Summit Initiative (NDSI), described the Summit as a vital bridge linking the Nigerian diaspora with development opportunities at home.
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She emphasised that this year’s theme aligns with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to diversify the economy and promote inclusive prosperity.
Jointly organised by NiDCOM and NDSI, the 2025 Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit will connect diaspora investors with local entrepreneurs across key sectors such as finance and fintech, ICT, creative industries, sports, agribusiness, healthcare, education, real estate, infrastructure, manufacturing, and energy.
