APM Terminals Nigeria has emphasised that policy continuity and regulatory consistency are critical to creating a stable and enabling environment for foreign investment in Nigeria.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Frederik Klinke, made this known during a CEO Roundtable session on “The Future of Infrastructure Funding in Nigeria” at the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit, recently concluded in Abuja.
The two-day summit, themed “The Reform Imperative: Building a Prosperous and Inclusive Nigeria by 2030,” brought together government officials, business leaders and development partners to deliberate on pathways for inclusive economic transformation.
Klinke stressed that predictability in policy and regulation was fundamental to investor confidence and long-term commitment to Nigeria’s economy.
“What investors are concerned about is long term predictability. There must be policies in place that would not change. There is a lot of positivity around the reforms being taken by the government. However, there has to be the right regulatory environment for predictability that guarantees that the rules will not change.
“The same goes for the commercial terms of these investments. When you operate in a volatile inflation and forex environment like Nigeria, investors understand that but there has to be assurance that the regulation in place allows for such volatility by enabling investors to adjust tariffs when inflation runs high. If that is not in place, it becomes a huge hindrance to business,” he said.
Other speakers on the panel included Executive Director of InfraCredit, Daniel Mueller; Director-General, Nigeria Country Office, African Development Bank (AfDB), Abdul Kamara and Chief Executive Officer, ARM-Harith Infrastructure Investments Limited, Rachel More-Oshodi.
Speaking earlier at the opening ceremony of the summit, Vice President Kashim Shettima reaffirmed the Federal Government’s determination to pursue reforms that promote inclusive prosperity.
He assured delegates that the administration was committed to implementing the summit’s recommendations.