Stakeholders in Nigeria’s infrastructure sector have identified persistent funding gaps, weak institutional coordination, and capacity challenges as major barriers to effective project delivery, as discussions opened at the inaugural Nigeria Infrastructure Summit in Lagos.
The summit, held alongside the West Africa Infrastructure Expo at the Landmark Centre, convened policymakers, investors, engineers, and project developers to address structural issues slowing infrastructure development across the country.
Organised by dmg events, the forum focused on translating Nigeria’s infrastructure ambitions into measurable outcomes, particularly in transport, power, water, digital connectivity, and urban development.
Speaking at the event, Senior Vice President of dmg events, Josine Heijmans, said Nigeria is at a critical stage in its development, requiring deliberate efforts to move from policy discussions to practical execution.
She noted that while the country has outlined ambitious infrastructure goals, the challenge lies in aligning policy, financing, and implementation frameworks to deliver tangible results.
According to her, the summit aims to foster collaboration between public and private sector stakeholders, while promoting investment-ready models capable of accelerating project delivery.
Also speaking, Deputy President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Valerie Agberagba, pointed to systemic challenges hindering infrastructure growth, including inadequate funding, fragmented government processes, and limited transparency.
She emphasised the need to strengthen coordination across agencies and improve professionalism within the sector to enhance efficiency and accountability.
Agberagba also stressed the importance of mobilising domestic resources alongside foreign investment, arguing that Nigeria possesses the financial and technical capacity to drive its infrastructure agenda if properly harnessed.
In addition, she highlighted the growing relevance of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, calling for continuous training and upskilling of engineers to meet evolving industry demands.
Participants at the summit agreed that addressing these structural issues is critical to unlocking sustainable economic growth, noting that inefficient infrastructure delivery continues to impact businesses, increase costs, and limit competitiveness.
The summit is expected to generate actionable recommendations aimed at improving project execution, strengthening partnerships, and creating a more efficient and investment-friendly infrastructure ecosystem in Nigeria.
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