Kwairanga urges youth to key into long-term investment culture
Dr Umaru Kwairanga, Group Chairman, Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group), has called on young Nigerians to embrace long-term investment culture and innovation as key drivers of national development.
Kwairanga made the call on Thursday at the 2026 Investment Society Colloquium held at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), where he served as Father of the Day.
He said Nigeria’s development challenges were not due to a lack of potential, but the inability to convert that potential into productive investment and sustainable enterprise.
According to him, many Nigerians still lack the culture of long-term savings and investment.
He said they preferred short-term financial gains and speculative schemes over structured capital market opportunities.
“We have too often neglected the very important habits of long-term savings, investment and entrepreneurship,” he said.
The NGX chairman said the colloquium theme, ‘Unlocking a New Era: The Future of Nigerian Financial Markets, Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Development,’ was timely.
He noted that capital, energy and infrastructure remained the backbone of any thriving economy.
He emphasised that financial markets played a critical role in mobilising savings and financing national development.
According to him, government budgets alone cannot meet Nigeria’s rising infrastructure needs.
“The bridge between potential and progress is capital. This is why financial markets matter.
“A well-functioning capital market is not just a platform for trading securities; it is a mechanism for national development,” he said.
Kwairanga also highlighted Nigeria’s huge infrastructure financing gap, estimated in trillions of dollars, describing it as a challenge and a major investment opportunity.
He urged stronger public-private partnerships, improved project preparation and innovative financing structures to attract long-term capital into infrastructure projects.
On energy, he said the sector remained central to economic competitiveness, adding that Nigeria must take advantage of the global shift toward renewable energy.
Kwairanga said that renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydro offered opportunities for expanding access to power while promoting sustainability.
He, however, warned that renewable energy development required stable policies, strong governance and investor confidence.
“At Nigerian Exchange Group, we remain committed to strengthening market infrastructure, deepening investor participation and supporting sustainable capital formation,” he said.
Kwairanga urged students to develop financial literacy and intellectual curiosity, noting that they represent the next generation of Nigeria’s economic leaders.
He encouraged them to see themselves as active participants in shaping Nigeria’s future rather than passive observers.