As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to batter economies worldwide, people around the world are reassessing the state of affairs and their country's wellbeing. In November 2021, Mr. Abimbola Ogunbanjo,  the head of Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX), hosted the first annual NGX Capital Markets Conference that brought together leading policymakers, financial experts, business leaders, investors, international development partners, and regulators to brainstorm ways to elevate the capital markets in Nigeria.  Specifically, the conference explored ways to increase the collaboration among key players in the nation’s economy in order to drive productive investments that would accelerate an elevated and digitized capital market.

This episode features Mr. Abimbola Ogunbanjo,  Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group, formerly the Nigerian Stock Exchange.  Abi, as his friends call him, discusses the opportunities and challenges for business and government in Nigeria, including the growth industries in Nigeria going into the future.

Abi recently engineered and oversaw the transition of the 60-year-old Nigerian Stock Exchange into what it is today with the goal of making, access to market easier.

As a demutualized entity, NGX, Mr. Ogunbanjo said is looking to:

• accelerate new growth platforms.
• invest in new payment platforms.
• invest in central counterparts, declaring houses.

NXE just launched a company called NG Clearing, which is a clearinghouse for derivatives.

"There are a number of areas that we're looking to strengthen our core in data and analytics and technology services, and to form strategic partnerships with fintechs."

According to Abi Ogunbanjo, the conference is "the beginning of the dialogue that the exchange is having with its stakeholders because we believe that it requires a collective effort to improve the fortunes of the exchange on the economy."