President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced the strategic repositioning of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission as the driving force behind Nigeria’s public-private partnership infrastructure projects.
Speaking at the 2025 Nigeria Public-Private Partnership Summit in Abuja, the President revealed his administration’s transformative approach to infrastructure development.
“We did not come into government to maintain the status quo. We came to transform it. And that is why, under my leadership, we have strengthened the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission into a fearless, competent engine room of Nigeria’s infrastructure revolution,” President Tinubu declared. He emphasized that the enhanced ICRC now plays a critical role beyond regulation, actively de-risking and accelerating PPP projects to ensure tangible outcomes.
The President described this overhaul as a fundamental “structural reset” designed to synchronize policy formulation with project execution. “We are building with precision. We are building with purpose. And through the ICRC, we are building with partners who share our resolve to make Nigeria rise,” he added, outlining his administration’s ambitious infrastructure vision.
Tinubu stressed that Nigeria’s development goals surpass what government funding alone can achieve. “Our national aspirations far exceed what public budgets alone can deliver. That is why we must innovate, and why we must work together. We are not looking for investors to carry burdens. We are offering opportunities to create value,” the President told attendees, highlighting improved transparency and streamlined approval processes across government agencies.
Referencing the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan, Tinubu reaffirmed the target to elevate Nigeria’s infrastructure stock to 70% of GDP by 2043. “Blueprints do not build roads. Policies alone do not generate megawatts. These goals require collective action. And that is the focus of my administration,” he stated, challenging summit participants to move beyond rhetoric to concrete achievements.
ICRC Director-General Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh credited the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda for reinvigorating Nigeria’s PPP landscape. “This administration has demonstrated uncommon courage in embracing Public-Private Partnerships — not merely as a funding mechanism, but as a governance model that rewards innovation, efficiency, and accountability,” he stated.
The DG highlighted several flagship PPP initiatives including the Highway Development and Management Initiative, MediPool medical infrastructure program, and major projects like the Ikere Gorge Dam and Borokiri Fishing Terminal. He revealed the ICRC’s evolution from regulator to active investment facilitator, ensuring projects are “not just legally sound, but economically viable and socially impactful.”
The two-day summit convened key stakeholders including federal ministries, state governors, international development partners like the World Bank and AfDB, and private sector leaders. Technical sessions explored innovative financing models, transportation infrastructure opportunities, and strategies to attract private investment in power and renewable energy, drawing lessons from successful African PPP projects.