Capital market vital to Nigeria’s trillion-dollar economy target

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Tuesday stressed the crucial role the Nigerian capital market must play in the realisation of the target of the President Bola Tinubu administration to create a trillion-dollar economy.

He spoke when he received on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja executive members of the Association of Capital Market Academics of Nigeria (ACMAN) led by its President, Prof. Uche Uwaleke.

“We are now in a knowledge-driven age; without the skill set, we cannot make much progress. The capital market has a very prominent role to play in pushing us to the one trillion-dollar economy. With your intellect, experience, and the quality of your membership that counts – not in numbers – we can achieve our objective,” he said.

Shettima who lauded the efforts of capital market experts, emphasized the significance of their contributions to ongoing interventions to transform the nation’s economy.

He added: “We have the skill set, the people, but what matters is the leadership that will push us to cross the Rubicon. We need your association to work with us to come up with robust solutions to our nation’s needs.

“Wherever Nigeria goes, that’s where Africa will go. So, we have that moral burden to make this continent work. That is why I am pleased with your partnership and support for our administration.”

Earlier, the President of ACMAN, Professor Uche Uwaleke said they were at the Presidential Villa to give the association’s support to the reforms of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration in areas of fiscal policy.

He explained that the association, comprising professors and senior academics from Nigerian universities specialising in financial market research, has taken steps to strengthen the bond between academia and industry.

“Today, the association welcomes captains of industry in order to strengthen the bond between the town and the gown,” Uwaleke explained.

In a move that signifies the growing importance of academic input in national economic policies, ACMAN has conferred its highest membership status on Vice President Shettima.

“The second objective is to confer on His Excellency, Vice President Kashim Shettima, the highest membership status of the association – Fellowship of Capital Market Academics,” Uwaleke announced.

This decision made unanimously at ACMAN’s last conference recognises VP Shettima’s role as Chairman of the National Economic Council (NEC).

Uwaleke explained that “at the last conference we had, members unanimously nominated His Excellency as a fellow of the association as the Chairman of the National Economic Council.”

“We look forward to your inaugural lecture, a very important condition for the award,” he added.

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