SEC Targets $500bn Boost from Formalizing Nigeria’s Dormant Agro-Mineral Assets
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says Nigeria could unlock as much as $500 billion from dormant agricultural and mineral resources by converting them into tradable securities under a new capital market reform strategy.
Speaking during the national workshop of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers in Abuja on Tuesday, SEC Director-General Emomotimi Agama revealed that the commission is set to tap into untapped assets through formalization of commodities and warehouse receipts, transforming them into wealth-generating instruments.
“By formalising commodities and warehouse receipts, we can unlock $500 billion in dormant agricultural and mineral assets,” Agama stated. “These assets, once converted into securities, will drive wealth creation and accelerate economic diversification.”
Agama added that the recent passage of the Investments and Securities Act, 2025, has given the Commission new tools and sharper regulatory authority to reposition Nigeria’s capital market as a critical engine for national prosperity.
Describing the new law as a “game-changer”, the SEC boss noted that the Act dismantles outdated market limitations, incorporates global best practices, and reinforces the legal framework needed to inspire investor trust and economic confidence.
“This Act is not just a policy update it’s a revolution. It empowers us to drive Nigeria toward becoming a $1 trillion economy. The real question is no longer if we will achieve it, but how soon,” he said.
In addition to expanding market depth, Agama emphasized the Commission’s renewed commitment to tackling fraudulent investment schemes and enhancing investor protection. The new Act allows compensation for investors who suffer losses due to license revocation of trading firms a safeguard he says has been long overdue.
“Investor confidence is the foundation of a liquid and sustainable market,” he said. “Trust is the currency of our capital markets.”
With the capital market poised as a major catalyst for non-oil economic growth, the SEC plans to continue building a regulatory environment that attracts both domestic and foreign investment, while also leveraging the nation’s vast resource base to fuel inclusive development.
