19 Nigerian Pension Funds Express Interest in Proposed $750m Infrastructure Fund

…UK-backed FSD Africa partners pension industry to mobilise $600m in domestic capital for energy, transport and digital infrastructure
Michael Olugbode in Abuja

By: Michael Mike

Nigeria’s pension industry is seeking to mobilise approximately $600 million from domestic pension funds for a proposed $750 million infrastructure investment platform, which has already attracted interest from 19 Nigerian pension funds.

The initiative, known as the Pension Industry Infrastructure Platform (PIIP), is being developed by the Pension Industry Leadership Council (PILC) in partnership with UK-funded specialist development agency, FSD Africa, to finance infrastructure projects in Nigeria and selected markets across the region.

The partnership was formalised through the signing of an agreement to support the development of the proposed fund.

Under the agreement, FSD Africa will provide PILC with expert advice and technical support, including assistance in selecting a fund manager through a competitive process, engaging potential investors and Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), building capacity and supporting necessary regulatory reforms.

The initiative, developed by Nigerian Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs), with support from the National Pension Commission (PenCom) and FSD Africa, seeks to bring together pension funds and development finance to provide long-term financing for infrastructure projects.

UK Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Jonny Baxter, said the partnership reflected the shared ambition of Nigeria and the United Kingdom to deepen Nigeria’s capital markets, mobilise domestic investment and channel long-term capital into the real economy.

He said the UK was proud to partner with Nigeria’s pension industry and PenCom to advance the investment initiative.

“Both our countries are prioritising tackling the challenge of attracting more domestic capital, including from pension funds, into the real economy. It is great to see Nigeria making concrete progress on its efforts and be a part of those opportunities to turn this ambition into investment, jobs, and economic growth,” Baxter said.

Chair of PILC and Director-General of PenCom, Omolola Oloworaran, described the proposed platform as timely, saying the pension industry was committed to mobilising its long-term savings capital for infrastructure development while safeguarding contributors’ retirement savings.

“The pension industry holds the largest pool of long-term savings capital in the country, and we are committed to mobilising it to deepen infrastructure development, while safeguarding the retirement savings of contributors. This MoU is the first step we are taking as an industry, and it is just the beginning,” she said.

Chief Executive Officer of FSD Africa, Mark Napier, said the proposed investment structure held significant promise for Nigeria and Africa.

He noted that the continent had substantial institutional capital but continued to face major infrastructure funding deficits.

“We have observed for several years now the paradox of Africa having significant institutional capital while at the same time facing big infrastructure funding deficits. We are keen to work with PenCom and the pension industry in Nigeria to address this and unlock the capital they manage towards Nigeria’s priority infrastructure,” Napier said.

The proposed platform is targeting an initial capital mobilisation of $350 million at its first close, expected in 2027, before scaling up to $750 million.

At its final target size, PIIP aims to mobilise approximately $600 million from Nigerian pension funds and at least $150 million from development finance institutions.

An initial assessment of Nigeria’s infrastructure pipeline identified 39 projects with potential relevance to the platform, representing approximately $20 billion in investment needs.

The platform will invest in equity and quasi-equity capital, with at least 60 per cent of its portfolio allocated to projects in Nigeria and the remainder available for selected regional investments.

Its proposed structure will comprise a naira-denominated core investment fund and a separate co-investment vehicle, allowing participating pension funds to invest alongside the core fund in selected projects.

A parallel foreign-currency vehicle may also be established to accommodate international investors.

The structure is designed to provide institutional investors with access to professionally managed, long-term investment opportunities while helping to finance infrastructure projects that improve connectivity, support business growth and contribute to Nigeria’s wider economic development.

19 Nigerian Pension Funds Express Interest in Proposed $750m Infrastructure Fund

2027: TAF-Africa urges INEC, security agencies to ensure inclusive voting

By Elizabeth Ogunjobi

TAF-Africa has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to ensure accessible and safe voting for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in 2027.

Dr Andrew Adaji, Programme Manager of The All-Rights Foundation, made the call in Gombe on Wednesday during a community outreach for PwDs.

Adaji said the agencies must ensure that all eligible voters exercised their constitutional rights without discrimination or unnecessary difficulties.

He said PwDs deserved adequate support to participate in electoral processes, given their population and potential contributions to national development.

He estimated that PwDs constituted about 35 million Nigerians, representing 18 per cent of the country’s population.

Adaji urged INEC to promote priority voting and ensure its officials understood provisions designed to facilitate voting for PwDs.

He also criticised the commission’s alleged neglect of Form EC40H, which documents the participation of voters with disabilities.

“Based on our experience during the off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti, Anambra and Osun states, most ad-hoc staff were not even aware that the form existed,” he said.

He said observers had to draw polling officials’ attention to the form during the elections.

Adaji urged INEC to incorporate training on Form EC40H into its preparation of ad-hoc staff.

He said this would enable officials to understand its purpose and properly document PwDs participating in elections.

He also called for assistive devices, including magnifying glasses and Braille ballot guides, for voters with visual impairments.

Adaji urged INEC to make polling units physically accessible, stressing that PwDs should exercise their rights independently and with dignity.

“We should not have to carry them into polling units. Instead, the facilities should be designed to accommodate them,” he said.

He expressed optimism that improved accessibility would encourage more PwDs to participate in elections.

Adaji also urged security agencies to prioritise the protection of PwDs during security threats and emergencies.

He encouraged PwDs in Gombe to exercise their voting rights under the priority voting provisions of the law.

He said the provisions included special queues for PwDs, pregnant women and older persons.

Adaji urged Nigerians to support the participation of PwDs in the electoral process.

Alheri Nuhu, Women Leader of the Deaf Association in Gombe State, commended The All-Rights Foundation for organising the outreach.

Nuhu said PwDs had been denied adequate attention during previous elections, despite their constitutional rights.

She lamented discrimination by INEC officials and other voters, saying communication barriers often left deaf voters disenfranchised.

She urged INEC to engage sign language interpreters among its ad-hoc staff to facilitate communication during elections.

Similarly, Malam Sani Abubakar, Chairman of the Lepers Association in Gombe State, called for inclusive voting arrangements.

He said leprosy had affected some members’ thumbs, making thumbprinting difficult despite their faces being captured during previous elections.

Abubakar urged INEC to introduce alternative voting arrangements for affected voters to prevent their disenfranchisement.

NAN reports that The All-Rights Foundation is conducting the outreach in six Gombe communities, targeting 305 PwDs.

2027: TAF-Africa urges INEC, security agencies to ensure inclusive voting

Borno 2027: The General’s Charge and How Zulum Unleashes Borno’s Heavyweight Political Squad

By Abubakar M. Kareto

In Nigerian politics, elections are rarely won on auditorium stages; they are decided in the quiet corridors of rural wards and the long queues of remote polling units.

The formal inauguration of the Borno State All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Council at the Government House followed by a massive, open-air campaign flag-off at the Sports Centre in Maiduguri represents a calculated departure from routine rally-making toward micro-targeted grassroots mobilization.

By commanding party stalwarts to abandon executive comfort and embed themselves directly within their local communities, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum is deploying a bottom-up doctrine aimed at locking down political legitimacy where it matters most.

At the heart of this strategy is the critical task of maintaining party cohesion after intense internal primaries. Zulum’s explicit instruction for victorious candidates to reach out and heal rifts with aggrieved aspirants reflects a realistic understanding of political arithmetic: internal resentment erodes turnout faster than any opposition campaign. By coupling reconciliation with firm warnings against subversion, the leadership is attempting to forge an unbreakable front out of potentially volatile factions.

The sheer scale of political unity displayed in Maiduguri underscores the formidable nature of this campaign structure. Bringing together political titans including former Governors Senator Maina Ma’aji Lawan and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, alongside APC Deputy National Chairman Ali Bukar Dalori and the state’s complete senatorial delegation demonstrates an unprecedented level of internal alignment.

This public display of solidarity among historical heavyweights signals organizational stability, minimizing space for opposition inroads while keeping rank-and-file members firmly aligned.

Beyond local dynamics, Borno State occupies a unique position on the national political chessboard as the home state of Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima. In this high-stakes arena, sheer victory is insufficient; the turnout margin itself serves as a barometer of political influence.

Delivering a massive vote tally is therefore both a local objective and a strategic demonstration of national strength, cementing the state’s leverage within the governing alliance.

To turn political influence into actual votes, the campaign relies heavily on record-based persuasion and visible governance dividends. By grounding the campaign pitch in key developmental gains achieved despite severe security challenges and highlighting major federal institutions acquired in Gwoza, Bama, and Azare canvassers are equipped with a tangible policy narrative. Framing voter turnout for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, gubernatorial candidate Engr. Mustapha Gubio, and all legislative candidates as a direct return on investment gives party workers a clear, evidence-backed story for every doorstep across the state’s 27 local government areas.

A vital strength of this expanded outreach is the deliberate inclusion of women and youth as core engines of voter mobilization. The strong presence of the women’s delegation led by Borno First Lady Dr. Falmata Babagana Umara Zulum alongside the wife of the Deputy Governor and the wives of party candidates highlights an organized effort to engage families and community networks directly. Demanding structured participation across all demographics ensures that campaign directives actively translate into voter registration and turnout.

Deputy Governor Umar Usman Kadafur’s commitment to an issue-based, unit-by-unit campaign outlines the operational mechanics needed to execute this vision. Requiring regular field reports creates a system of measurable accountability across every precinct. In a vast state with complex logistics, such systematic tracking ensures that high-level strategy is actively carried out at every single polling station.

Lastly, the Maiduguri launch demonstrates how strategic discipline, elite reconciliation, and precinct-level focus converge to shape electoral outcomes. In an increasingly competitive political landscape, the Borno APC has laid out a clear blueprint: harness the full weight of a unified leadership squad, but win the election one polling unit at a time.

About the Author
Abubakar M. Kareto is a Public Affairs Analyst and Communications Strategist focusing on governance, policies, economy, and institutional reforms across Nigeria and Africa. He can be reached on X @amkareto and via email at amkareto@gmail.com.

Borno 2027: The General’s Charge and How Zulum Unleashes Borno’s Heavyweight Political Squad