FMDQ CEO Seeks Infrastructure Funding Through Capital Market

Mr. Bola Onadele.Koko, Chief Executive Officer, FMDQ Group, has said that infrastructure development is critical for economic growth, reduced poverty, job creation as well as improving the well-being of the citizenry.

According to him, the debt capital market (DCM) provides a key avenue through which infrastructural growth can be fostered to promote economic development.

Onadele stated this during a webinar recently facilitated to create a platform for expert discussions on infrastructure development in Nigeria leveraging the DCM.

The webinar was in line with the Terms of Reference of the Infrastructure Finance Sub-Committee of the FMDQ Debt Capital Markets Development (DCMD) Project, to facilitate the uptake of capital markets products as a means of financing infrastructure.

Onadele said at FMDQ, they recognise the increasing role of the inclusion of private capital in the Nigerian capital market which had hitherto been serviced only by public companies.

“FMDQ Private Markets Limited was incorporated to enable private companies irrespective of size to access the market for funding and raise vital capital to expand operations and function as efficiently as possible within their various sectors,” he said.

Also speaking, Mr. Bolaji Balogun, Chief Executive Officer, Chapel Hill Denham & Chair, Steering Committee, FMDQ DCMD Project, said: “It is absolutely clear that if any country wants to develop, the country develops primarily around the base of a deep and liquid domestic debt capital market and therefore, the role that FMDQ Group plays in this respect is pivotal.”

In all, session discussed various impacting topics, which included: the opportunities and challenges of benchmarking the Nigerian debt infrastructure market; identifying the scope of de-risking tools in enhancing bankability of infrastructure projects, and government incentives and legislation reforms to unlock infrastructure development in Nigeria.