NiDCOM Summit Targets Trust Deficit in Diaspora Investment
By Pan Afric Reporters
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has intensified efforts to bridge the trust gap discouraging Nigerians abroad from investing in the country, with its 9th Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit (NDIS) focusing on secure, transparent and credible home-based investment opportunities.
The position was contained in a press release issued by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, NiDCOM, Abuja, following the opening of the two-day summit on November 10, 2026. The event, organised in collaboration with the Nigeria Diaspora Summit Initiative (NDSI), is themed “Bridging the Trust Gap: Connecting Diaspora Capital with Credible Home-based Opportunities.”
Declaring the summit open, NiDCOM Chairman/CEO, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, described Nigerians in the diaspora as a formidable economic force whose financial resources, expertise and global networks are critical to achieving Nigeria’s $1 trillion economy ambition.
She identified trust and knowledge gaps, fraudulent investment schemes, unverified investment channels and inadequate investor protection as major obstacles to diaspora capital mobilisation, stressing the need for transparency, regulatory safeguards and credible investment platforms.
In his keynote address, the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Shehu Usman Osidi, called for stronger institutional collaboration, transparent investment processes and improved investor protection mechanisms to address the challenges limiting diaspora investments.
Osidi said Nigeria must move beyond merely attracting foreign capital to creating an investment environment where Nigerians abroad could confidently identify, verify, access and monitor credible investment opportunities at home.
He listed weak investment governance, fraudulent property transactions, disputed land titles, abandoned projects, unfulfilled contractual obligations and mismanagement of invested funds among factors fuelling investor apprehension.
The FMBN chief acknowledged the Federal Government’s efforts to strengthen diaspora engagement through NiDCOM and the National Diaspora Policy, which provides an institutional framework for mobilising diaspora resources through trade, investment, entrepreneurship, public-private partnerships and knowledge transfer.
He also highlighted investment climate reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly initiatives of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Using FMBN as an example of institutional intervention, Osidi spotlighted the Bank’s National Housing Fund (NHF) Diaspora Mortgage Product, launched in London on August 7, 2026, to address the challenges faced by Nigerians abroad seeking to own homes in the country.
He explained that the product was designed to overcome barriers relating to mortgage accessibility, distance, property transactions and confidence in the security of investments.
Osidi further disclosed that FMBN had established a dedicated Global Business Strategic Unit to provide specialised oversight, customer engagement and service delivery for its diaspora business.
Under the scheme, eligible Nigerians aged between 18 and 70 years living abroad can participate through monthly contributions of $100, $200 or $300 under the Basic, Classic and Premium categories, respectively.
However, he cautioned that mortgage access alone would not resolve the trust deficit, emphasising the need for collaboration with regulators, state governments, developers and mortgage institutions to guarantee credible housing supply, authentic property titles, quality construction and timely project delivery.
Earlier, Chairman of the Summit Organising Committee and NDIS Coordinator, Mobolaji Lewis, said the 2026 virtual engagement was designed to sustain diaspora investment conversations despite the scaling down of the physical summit in view of the national election campaign season.
Lewis said the summit would provide practical guidance on identifying, verifying and accessing credible investment opportunities while strengthening institutional collaboration.
He described the engagement as a foundation for the 10th anniversary edition of the summit in 2027.
The opening ceremony also featured discussions and panel sessions on investment opportunities across Nigeria, bringing together diaspora investors, government institutions, financial regulators and private-sector stakeholders to explore pathways for mobilising diaspora capital into the country’s economy.
