The Chairman of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Juliet Anammah, has called for stronger corporate governance and sustained collaboration between the public and private sectors as critical ingredients for Nigeria’s quest to become a $1 trillion economy.
Speaking at the 2026 National Corporate Governance Summit in Lagos, Anammah said good governance must evolve beyond regulatory compliance to become a strategic tool for accelerating economic growth, industrialisation and national development.
The summit, themed “Implementing Good Governance for Economic Acceleration: Consolidating Public and Private Sector Partnership,” was organised by the Institute of Directors (IoD) Centre for Corporate Governance, the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC), the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN).
Delivering the keynote address, Anammah described the summit’s theme as timely, stressing that stronger partnerships between government and the private sector would be essential to achieving sustainable economic growth and improving the living standards of Nigerians.
She said Nigeria’s immediate aspiration should be to transition from a lower-middle-income economy to an upper-middle-income economy through sustained industrialisation, innovation and consistent implementation of long-term policies.
Anammah acknowledged the Federal Government’s bold economic reforms, including fuel subsidy removal, foreign exchange unification and bank recapitalisation, noting that while the measures had been difficult, they had contributed to stabilising the economy.
According to her, macroeconomic stability alone is insufficient to transform the country.
“Stabilisation is not the end goal. The destination is economic rebirth that improves household incomes, creates quality careers, expands access to healthcare and education, and delivers reliable infrastructure,” she said.
Drawing lessons from countries such as Vietnam and Morocco, Anammah urged Nigeria to move beyond dependence on primary commodities by expanding value-added manufacturing and industrial production.
She identified petrochemicals, agro-processing, automotive manufacturing, renewable energy and other industrial sectors as areas with significant growth potential, provided they are supported by sound governance and consistent industrial policies.
The Nigerian Breweries chairman also identified policy inconsistency as one of Nigeria’s major development challenges, calling on governments at all levels to sustain economic and industrial policies beyond political administrations.
She advocated healthy competition among states, independent evaluation of industrial policies and deeper collaboration between government and the private sector to attract investment and drive long-term economic expansion.
Anammah maintained that only through strong corporate governance, policy continuity and effective public-private partnerships can Nigeria build productive industries, create quality jobs and achieve broad-based prosperity.
Also speaking at the summit, the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs, Dr. Tope Fasua, representing Vice President Kashim Shettima, said President Bola Tinubu’s administration remained committed to reforms aimed at building a resilient and competitive economy.
He said ongoing reforms, including foreign exchange liberalisation, tax reforms and subsidy removal, must be reinforced by integrity, accountability and transparency across public institutions and private enterprises to deliver sustainable growth.
Earlier, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the IoD Centre for Corporate Governance, Urum Kalu Eke, said Nigeria must shift from discussing governance principles to implementing them, while Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of MOFI, Dr. Armstrong Takang, stressed that strong corporate governance is fundamental to attracting investment, strengthening public-private partnerships and driving long-term economic development.
Participants at the summit agreed that entrenching transparency, strengthening institutions and sustaining economic reforms would be vital to enhancing investor confidence and positioning Nigeria to achieve its long-term economic ambitions.
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