The Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, today, delivered Nigeria’s Statement at the G-24 Ministerial Meeting on the sidelines of the 2025 IMF World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington D.C.

In his capacity as First Vice-Chair of the G-24, the Minister underscored President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s strong commitment to structural reforms, including fuel subsidy removal, foreign exchange unification, and comprehensive tax policy reforms. He emphasised the administration’s focus on restoring macroeconomic stability and building a more resilient, inclusive economy.

The Honourable Minister called on the IMF and World Bank to reward reform-minded economies—particularly those in Sub-Saharan Africa—by expanding access to affordable financing and deploying more innovative instruments to support their transitions.

HM Edun also welcomed the IMF’s recent establishment of a third Sub-Saharan Africa Chair and advocated for increased African representation at senior management levels within the Bretton Woods institutions.*Nigeria is open for business,* he stated. 

The Minister, however, added that for reforms to deliver their full impact, *we need the international community to match our ambition with strong, targeted support.*

The Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to food security while also urging a more agile and resilient approach to agricultural planning.

 Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Agricultural Sector Working Group (ASWG) in Abuja, HM Edun stressed the need to align Nigeria’s agricultural roadmap with the post-Malabo agenda, highlighting the importance of boosting productivity, expanding access to finance, and unlocking value-added exports.

 He assured stakeholders of the Ministry’s full support, describing agriculture as central to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic priorities. The ASWG is expected to drive coordination across sectors and ensure measurable progress towards national and continental food security goals.

This initiative marks a significant step towards achieving sustainable food security, driving economic growth, and improving the lives of millions of Nigerians. The Ministry of Finance’s commitment to supporting the agricultural sector will undoubtedly yield long-term benefits for the nation.

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the various economic reforms of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Administration aimed at improving the lives of Nigerians.

The Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, gave the assurance on Monday in his office in Abuja when he received a high-level delegation from the World Bank, led by Ousmane Diagana, Vice President for Western and Central Africa.

The Minister reiterated the government’s focus on three key areas: improving project delivery speed, scaling up biometric verification for 15 million individuals on the national social register, and accelerating the implementation of the Mission 300 initiative. He announced the establishment of a Compact Delivery and Monitoring Unit and requested a status update to ensure the nation stays on track to set new records in project approval and execution.

Key areas of collaboration include increased agricultural productivity, improved access to finance for SMEs, enhanced digital transformation, and broader financial inclusion.

Speaking earlier, Ousmane Diagana stated that their visit was to reaffirm support for President Bola Tinubu’s economic reform agenda and development priorities.

Diagana praised Nigeria’s recent GDP growth of 3.4% — the strongest since 2014 — and commended the government’s progress in stabilising the economy and improving portfolio performance. He stressed the need to maintain reform momentum to achieve inclusive, job-creating growth and highlighted Nigeria’s position as the World Bank’s largest portfolio in Africa, with commitments totalling around $17 billion. He also welcomed Nigeria’s leadership on the Mission 300 initiative — a pan-African drive to expand energy access to 300 million people — and urged faster implementation of social protection measures, particularly targeted cash transfers.

With the World Bank’s continued support and commitment to Nigeria’s economic reforms, the country is poised to achieve significant milestones in its development journey. The Federal Government’s focus on inclusive growth, job creation, and social protection measures will undoubtedly improve the lives of Nigerians, particularly the most vulnerable.