At a time when Nigeria stands at an inflexion point, caught between the promise of reforms and the urgency of recovery, Aliko Dangote, Africa’s foremost industrialist; Wale Edun, the nation’s chief economic strategist; and Haresh Aswani, the driving force behind Tolaram Africa’s billion-dollar consumer brands empire, and over 300 CEOs gather today at the BusinessDay CEO Forum 2025 to answer the question that matters most: Where does Nigeria go next?
Under the theme ‘Nigeria: From Reform to Recovery,’ this year’s Forum convenes the rarest circle of economic architects, private capital juggernauts, and policy fixers under one roof at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos. For over a decade, the BusinessDay CEO Forum has remained Nigeria’s definitive invitation-only summit, where conversations evolve from talk to action.
Big reforms, bold recovery
In the last 18 months, Nigeria has launched a suite of bold policies that are finally awakening Africa’s sleeping giant.
The removal of petrol subsidies was targeted at freeing up billions for investment in infrastructure and social spending.
Read also: 7 things to know about Aliko Dangote, speaker at BusinessDay CEO Forum
The harmonisation of Nigeria’s multiple exchange rates was also meant to restore investor confidence.
The push for fiscal discipline through the tax reforms tightened leakages and widened the tax net.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s aggressive interest rate adjustments, the taming of inflation and the stabilisation of the macro economy have succeeded in restoring investor confidence.
But behind the bullet points are real lives, households, industries, and ordinary citizens all juggling short-term pain for long-term promise. This crucible is the context for today’s Forum: CEOs, ministers, regulators, and global advisors dissecting how policy must align with business to push Nigeria from policy tweaks to real prosperity.
Line-up for history books
Aliko Dangote, whose conglomerate spans cement to oil refineries, stands as the enduring proof that scale can be built here, by Nigerians, and for Nigerians. Wale Edun, the man tasked with steering Africa’s largest economy through storm and calm, brings the inside track on Nigeria’s fiscal and monetary compass. Haresh Aswani, Tolaram’s managing director for Africa, personifies Nigeria’s attraction to serious foreign capital, overseeing one of West Africa’s most successful consumer goods and infrastructure footprints.
Together, they will interrogate what’s working, what must shift, and how the private sector’s boldness can match the government’s resolve.
13 years of shaping national discourse
Now in its 13th edition, the BusinessDay CEO Forum is more than a gathering; it is a signal.
From Affiong Williams of ReelFruit to Kashifu Inuwa of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), every voice echoes one truth: the next decade belongs to those who build fearlessly within Nigeria, not outside it.
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Forum that moves markets
KPMG, the knowledge partner for 2025, lends depth and rigour to the day’s debates, anchoring each conversation in data and global best practices. As Nigeria’s only leadership summit that brings C-suite executives, regulators, governors, and next-generation founders to one table, the CEO Forum is where blueprints are not just theorised but stress-tested by those who must execute them.
Where Nigeria goes from here
By dusk today, no silver bullets will have been found. But what will emerge is a clearer direction, a sharper sense of how policies must stay the course, where private capital must dig deeper, and how new ideas must break old bottlenecks.
If you are in the room, you are not just a spectator; you are part of the solution. Because in the end, recovery is not a speech. It is a story that must be built, told, and lived by all who still believe in the promise of Africa’s sleeping giant.
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