PFAs, insurers targeted as IIF mobilises SME capital
The Impact Investors Foundation has announced plans to host its 9th Annual Convening on Impact Investing in Lagos, aimed at unlocking domestic institutional capital from Pension Fund Administrators, insurance companies, and sovereign wealth vehicles to finance small and medium-sized enterprises across Nigeria.
The two-day summit, themed ‘Unlocking Institutional Capital for Nigeria’s Impact Economy,’ seeks to address the limited participation of large domestic institutional investors in funding investment-ready enterprises that drive inclusive economic growth.
Speaking on the upcoming event, Chief Executive Officer of the Impact Investors Foundation, Etemore Glover, stressed the urgency of bringing institutional investors into the core of Nigeria’s real economy.
“In recent times, we have engaged in serious conversations on how institutional capital can contribute significantly to the real economy and foster socioeconomic and environmental development in Nigeria,” Glover said.
She noted that while some milestones had been recorded, the volume of deployed capital remained insufficient when measured against the country’s economic needs.
“We must admit that some progress has been made. However, is it enough, given the scale of development challenges relative to the opportunities present in a country as large as ours?,” she added.
Glover emphasised that the summit would shift institutional managers from passive observers to active co-creators of sustainable economic growth.
“This year’s annual convening on Impact Investing will bring institutional investors into the room as partners in designing a stronger impact economy for Nigeria,” she stated.
Nigeria boasts substantial pools of institutional capital, with pension assets managed under the Contributory Pension Scheme alone reaching N31.48tn as of July 2026, according to the National Pension Commission. However, a vast majority of these funds remain concentrated in low-risk government securities, leaving micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises facing an acute credit crunch.
To bridge this gap, the IIF, in collaboration with strategic global and local partners, has been promoting alternative investment vehicles such as the Wholesale Impact Investment Fund to enable PFAs and insurers to allocate funds to high-impact private sectors safely under revised PenCom guidelines.
The summit will feature curated deal rooms designed to directly match investment-ready small and medium-sized businesses with institutional financiers and impact funds.
Participants will also deliberate on market infrastructure, domestic capital mobilisation frameworks, deal structuring, Artificial Intelligence in Environmental, Social, and Governance risk assessment, climate resilience, and the official unveiling of the rebranded Nigerian Impact Economy Community.
The event will conclude with the 2026 IIF Annual Impact Investing Awards, recognising exceptional contributions across categories including Impact Investor of the Year, Social Enterprise of the Year, and the Innocent Chukwuma Award for Social Impact.
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