The UK Government’s Manufacturing Africa programme has recorded significant investment and employment gains in Nigeria, with 23 successful investment deals supported over the past six years.

The programme has helped businesses mobilise more than $630 million in investment and create over 21,400 direct jobs, as British officials, investors, government representatives and development partners gathered in Lagos to mark its impact.

British High Commissioner, Pete Vowles, and British Deputy High Commissioner, Jonny Baxter, joined stakeholders from Nigeria’s business and investment ecosystem at the event, which also focused on ways to strengthen investment opportunities for high-potential businesses.

The gathering highlighted Manufacturing Africa’s role in supporting Nigeria’s investment ecosystem by helping businesses access capital, expand their operations and create employment.

A major feature of the event was the launch of the Fundraising Toolkit, a free digital resource developed by Manufacturing Africa to help businesses prepare for investment and better navigate the fundraising process.

The platform provides practical guidance, investor insights, templates and other tools designed to help more businesses across Nigeria and Africa access the financing required to scale their operations.

The event brought together leaders from different parts of Nigeria’s investment ecosystem and demonstrated how improved investor readiness, combined with targeted business support, can facilitate investment at scale, with implications for economic growth and job creation.

The toolkit is based on more than six years of UK-funded Manufacturing Africa investment facilitation experience across Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Senegal.

It incorporates lessons from more than 300 investment opportunities and over 70 financial closes, as well as insights from more than 23 international investors, including development finance institutions (DFIs), private equity firms and impact investors.

Rather than serving as a theoretical fundraising guide, the resource is built around practical experience. Its frameworks, templates and recommendations are based on real transactions and reflect how investment deals are structured, negotiated and concluded across African markets.

Commenting on the initiative, Baxter said: “I am delighted to celebrate six years of the UK’s Manufacturing Africa programme and recognise the 23 Nigerian businesses it has supported. Together, these transactions have mobilised more than $630 million in investment and have the potential to create or safeguard over 21,400 direct jobs, demonstrating the programme’s contribution to economic growth.”

Vowles also highlighted the importance of businesses learning how to access commercial finance and applying those lessons to future growth.

He said: “It is great to see companies coming together, figuring out how to access commercial finance, so they can then grow their businesses. I am really interested to hear what they have done, and how they are going to use the new toolkit to continue and promote what they are doing for other companies to grow their businesses because that would be where we get real success.”

Team Leader, Manufacturing Africa, Thomas Pascoe, described the toolkit as an important development for the programme and pointed to the experience accumulated through its work with businesses across the continent.

Pascoe said: “The launch of the Fundraising Toolkit marks an important milestone for Manufacturing Africa. It brings together more than six years of practical fundraising experience, including the tools, insights and lessons that have helped businesses across the continent navigate the fundraising process and secure investment.

“We are also celebrating 23 Nigerian businesses that have successfully reached financial close with support from Manufacturing Africa, raising close to $630 million in total. Their achievements demonstrate what is possible when businesses have access to the right tools, guidance and connections to capital. Many of the approaches that supported these fundraising journeys are now captured in the Toolkit, a first-of-its-kind resource in Africa.”

Source: The Guardian