Incoming NESG chairman wants growth to improve Nigerians’ lives

The incoming chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Omoboyede Olusanya, wants Nigeria’s economic growth to translate into jobs, incomes and improved living standards. He advocated this priority at the close of the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit, held on 26 and 27 October in Abuja, according to an NESG statement published on Sunday and reported by Punch.

Olusanya presented “Growth that Delivers” as the guiding principle of his term. He said he wanted to assess progress by its effects on households, including farmers’ incomes, manufacturers’ production costs, graduates’ access to decent jobs and businesses’ access to affordable finance.

The incoming NESG chairman acknowledged that recent reforms had helped restore macroeconomic stability, while saying this needed to be accompanied by improvements in household well-being. He announced five commitments aimed at translating economic policies into measurable results.

The group intends to assign leads, deadlines and indicators to the priority commitments arising from the summit, then publish progress reports before the next edition. Olusanya also announced stronger research and policy analysis linked to the 2026-2030 National Development Plan, as well as cooperation with public institutions, financial organisations and development partners to turn proposals into bankable projects.

His remarks come after Nigerian manufacturers cited high costs on 30 October as a constraint on business activity. On 26 October, President Bola Tinubu called for efforts to stem the departure of Nigerian doctors.