The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele on Thursday took the stage at the Africa CEO Forum, where he described President Bola Tinubu as a leader tirelessly marketing Nigeria to the global community.
Speaking to journalists in Kigali- Rwanda, Oyedele painted Nigeria’s picture of a nation shedding its old narrative for one of bold reforms with a focus to utilize its untapped potentials.
“You know one very exciting thing about Mr. President is that he is never tired of marketing Nigeria,” Oyedele said, crediting President Tinubu with positioning the country as its own “chief marketer.”
The Finance Minister explained that the high-level diplomatic talks in Kigali involving the President focused on mobilizing investment in power, mining, and private-sector growth—sectors ripe for transformation.
“We had several discussions mostly focusing on economic opportunities,” he noted, pointing to fresh commitments in port development and solid minerals as proof of momentum.
Those engagements extended to diplomacy, including a warm meeting with Guinea’s president, he added.
Describing the meeting with the Guinea President as a “big brother and younger brother” dynamic, Oyedele said it was interesting that the two countries can work together.
Oyedele noted that President Tinubu commended his counterpart for resisting withdrawal pressures from ECOWAS during regional tensions, emphasizing a long-term vision for West African integration.
Opportunities abound in iron ore and beyond, Oyedele added:
“Partnership—we are stronger together.”
At the forum, Oyedele positioned Nigeria as Africa’s pacesetter.
As the continent’s largest economy by scale, skills, population, and opportunity, the country has rolled out “transformative reforms” that others can emulate.
“It wasn’t meant to be easy but it was necessary,” he said, insisting the nation is now “on that track towards winning and getting all the gains.”
“The time for rhetoric is over and it is now time for execution,” Oyedele declared.
For the Finance Minister, the timing feels providential. “It’s exciting for us to have the opportunity to be able to serve at this time—not just for our country but for our continent.”
