The Presidency has disclosed that the nation is on a steady move towards attaining $1 trillion economy by Year 2030.
Technical Adviser to the President on Economic and Financial Inclusion (Office of the Vice President), Dr. Nurudeen Zauro, who made this disclosure in Abuja at the weekend stated emphatically that Nigeria is on a “healing journey” and firmly on course to reclaim its leadership position in Africa by building a borderless and inclusive economy.
This is coming just as Nigeria is set to host a major continental policy and technology engagement in 2026, as organisers of the RegTech Africa Conference and Expo (RACE 2026) have unveiled details of the event in Abuja.
The conference, which will be held under the patronage of the Office of the Vice President between May 20 and 22, 2026, with the theme “Building trust, infrastructure, inclusion and policy for a borderless economy”, is being organised in partnership with the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion and in collaboration with the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA).
Answering reporters’ questions on economic and financial inclusion, Zauro said President Bola Tinubu set a clear economic target from his first day in office.
According to him: “From day one, Mr President actually set a target. He set a target of deepening Nigeria’s economic and financial sector to achieve a $1 trillion economy by the year 2030. In order for us to achieve that, we have to build trust, we have to build infrastructure, we have to ensure inclusion and, of course, bring in policies that promote partnership and collaboration. That is the definition of the borderless economy.”
He argued that recent policy changes, though painful, are necessary to restore long-term economic health.
“I keep saying this: it takes a bold decision for a father who knows his child is sick to take him to the hospital, allow him to go through surgery and come out hale and hearty,” Zauro said.
“Nigeria has passed through a lot of reforms and difficult times. We know economic pressure is a global thing, but at this time we are on a healing journey.”
According to him, key economic indicators “are changing” as investor confidence slowly returns. “Nigerian numbers are changing. Things are becoming better; the numbers are turning.
“Investors are coming. In this room, in this office, we have hosted so many people. Nigeria is on its trajectory to success, and I can assure you that the leadership Nigeria has always had in Africa is being reinforced.”
He stressed that the Tinubu administration is “intentional” about using the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to strengthen Nigeria’s regional leadership.
“In terms of leadership to take advantage of AfCFTA, we are really where the numbers are today, and they are out there,” he said. “The most important thing is the intentionality of the administration. Mr President and the Vice President have been all over the world canvassing for support, requesting collaboration and partnership.”
Zauro linked the current push on financial inclusion to a presidential directive. “That is even one of the reasons why we are seated in this room,” he explained.
“We are implementing the ASO Accord on Economic and Financial Inclusion. It speaks to commitment, it speaks to recognition of the importance of this sector, as well as partnership and collaboration. That has been the support of Mr President.”
He added that the government has elevated the inclusion agenda to the National Economic Council to ensure that states fully buy into federal policies.
“Another key thing is elevating this conversation to the National Economic Council, where all the sub-nationals are.
It is not enough to do policy at the centre; you must ensure that the policy goes to the sub-nationals so that every Nigerian is part of the policy and its implementation. Our slogan has always been: no one is left behind.”
Zauro maintained that with the right partnerships and inclusive policies, Nigerians can largely solve their own economic challenges.
“If we can face these problems together, like the Presidency is trying to do and everybody joins us to solve them, then we probably don’t need anybody to help us,” he said.
“From policymakers to innovators to operators like us, you can be sure that we are all interested in this conversation.”
In the words of some of the organisers of the conference, multi-stakeholder conversations are critical to resolving persistent “pain points” confronting citizens and businesses.
“The truth is that conversations like this help us to solve problems. Maybe some policymakers are not even aware of the issues until you ask the questions.
“The essence of bringing everybody together is to have these conversations and solve these problems.”
They said they were deliberately curating the “right resources” – from policymakers to innovators and operators – to respond to sector-wide concerns.
“The people we are going to bring to this conference will be the right resource persons that can speak to some of these problems. They know those problems.
“But if we all sit in our houses without coming out to have these conversations, then the problems will remain unsolved. These are pain points to all of us.”
They also linked inclusion directly to productivity in rural and underserved communities, insisting that access to markets and payments can unlock significant output.
“If you give me access to market for my goods, even if I am in one small village, and I have exposure to the world and access to collect my money from the sales, I will produce more”.
Deji Elumoye
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