Femi Joshua calls for increased diaspora investment at London Summit

Nigerian investment educator and business strategist, Dr Femi Joshua, has called for increased diaspora investment to strengthen capital flows into the country and unlock more opportunities for economic growth.

Joshua made the call in London during the Investors Connect London 2026, where he joined former minister and Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Chief Sunday Dare, alongside investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers and business leaders.

The event, organised by Vivacity Development at Imperial College London, focused on inclusive growth, innovation and multi-sector diversification.

It also provided a platform for discussions on investment, entrepreneurship, strategic partnerships and ways to improve the movement of capital across borders.

Speaking during a panel session titled “Unlocking the Liquidity: Global Partnerships and Exit Pathways,” Joshua said Nigeria needed to create stronger links between international capital and credible investment opportunities.

He stressed that attracting capital should not end with fundraising. Instead, investors and business owners must consider how they will create value and eventually realise it.

“Fundraising is not the finish line; it is the beginning of the capital journey,” Joshua said.

He identified entry, governance, value creation, liquidity and exit as critical stages in the investment cycle.

According to him, founders should consider exit options from the outset rather than wait until investors need to withdraw their funds.

“The best time to design your exit is before you need one,” he said.

Joshua said clear ownership structures, proper financial reporting, sound governance and defined investor rights could make businesses more attractive to both local and international investors.

He also identified secondary transactions, acquisitions and dividend structures as possible avenues for investors to realise value without necessarily selling an entire company.

The investment educator said diaspora investors could play a greater role in Nigeria’s economic development if the country addressed concerns around trust, structure and exit.

He noted that distance can create uncertainty for Nigerians and other investors living abroad who want to invest in opportunities at home.

“For someone sitting in London and investing in an opportunity in Abuja, distance creates a trust gap,” Joshua said.

He added that transparency, proper documentation, effective governance and credible investment structures could help bridge the gap.

Joshua urged investors to examine how their funds would be deployed and protected before committing capital.

He said they should also understand who owns the underlying asset, what rights they have and how they can eventually realise value.

“Sophisticated capital doesn’t only look at the opportunity; it looks at the structure around the opportunity,” he said.

Joshua also highlighted Abuja as an emerging destination for investment, citing its growing commercial activity, infrastructure and business opportunities.

He said international and diaspora investors should pay closer attention to viable opportunities in the Federal Capital Territory.

One of the projects he is championing is Jabi Prime Hub, a commercial real estate project in Abuja.

Joshua said his approach goes beyond encouraging investors to purchase property. He wants them to understand the factors that create and sustain the value of an asset.

These factors, he said, include location, market demand, economic activity, end users, value creation and the long-term investment outlook.

“I don’t want investors to simply ask, ‘What am I buying?’ I want them to understand why the asset has value, what drives demand around it, how that value can grow and what the long-term investment pathway looks like,” he said.

He noted that investment education should help people make decisions based on information, due diligence and sound structures rather than sentiment.

Joshua’s London engagements also included discussions around diaspora participation, international partnerships and Abuja’s investment potential.

He said the meetings showed that significant interest exists among Nigerians abroad and international investors in African opportunities.

However, he stressed that Nigeria must match that interest with credible investment structures, transparency and viable propositions.

He said Abuja could position itself more strongly in the global investment market as investors increasingly explore opportunities outside traditional markets.

“The opportunity is not simply to attract capital into Africa. The opportunity is to build the confidence, structures and partnerships that allow that capital to create sustainable value,” Joshua said.