By Our Correspondent
The World Bank Group is helping mobilise up to $5.79bn in private financing for Nigeria in the 2026 fiscal year, targeting investments in agriculture, telecommunications, digital infrastructure and small businesses, with an estimated 850,000 jobs expected from one of its major programmes.
The initiative combines policy reforms, commercial investments and risk-sharing arrangements to attract private capital, improve food security, expand broadband access and ease financing constraints facing businesses.
In agriculture, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group’s private-sector investment arm, helped mobilise $1.02bn for Dangote Industries and $282.5m for Indorama Fertiliser to boost domestic fertiliser production. The projects, with a combined annual production capacity of 6.8 million metric tonnes, are expected to improve access to fertiliser for more than 10 million smallholder farmers.
The Group’s Fostering Inclusive Finance for MSMEs in Nigeria (FINCLUDE) programme is expected to attract nearly $1.89bn in private financing for more than 250,000 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. With 30 per cent of financing targeted at women-led businesses, the initiative is projected to support about 850,000 direct and indirect jobs.
In digital infrastructure, the Building Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Growth (BRIDGE) project could unlock up to $1.1bn in private investment by 2030, extending affordable broadband access to an additional 58 million Nigerians. The Agricultural Value Chains for Growth (AGROW) project, meanwhile, targets one million smallholder farmers and aims to attract $242m from agribusiness firms and certified seed producers.
The World Bank Group said its coordinated approach would use policy reforms, investment platforms and risk mitigation to draw private capital into critical sectors. “Together, these reforms, platforms, guarantees, and investments are helping mobilise up to $5.79 billion in private financing in fiscal year 2026,” it stated.