Delta unveils $100m viability gap fund to draw private investors, de-risk projects

Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has launched a $100 million (₦133 billion) Viability Gap Fund to de-risk strategic investments in the state. He announced this at the Delta State Economic and Investment Summit 2026 in Asaba, an event that brought together government officials, business leaders, and development partners.

What the governor said

Oborevwori said the summit is designed to connect ideas with capital and maximise the comparative advantages inherent in the state’s socio-economic potential. According to him, the fund will not only de-risk strategic investments but also give investors greater confidence. He added that it would support the delivery of impactful projects that drive economic growth and shared prosperity in Delta.

VP, WTO DG, and Finance Minister speak

Special Guest of Honour, Vice President Kashim Shettima, said Nigeria is on the right path in its growth and development trajectory. He cited favourable reports from international ratings agencies such as Fitch, S&P, and Moody’s. He stressed that diversification is an instinct of economic self-preservation and a measure of leadership quality.

“A government that prepares for life beyond oil understands that resources may finance progress, but only ideas, institutions, and enterprises can sustain it,” Shettima said. He urged states to move from basic asset documentation to practical execution and job creation.

World Trade Organization Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said there are significant opportunities for Delta State, Nigeria, and Africa despite global disruptions. She called for fiscal prudence, lower trade costs, improved execution, and a stronger maintenance culture. She advised the government to learn from the Lekki Deep Sea Port in Lagos, which she said is “worth seeing” and has created jobs for about 5,000 people.

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, said states and local governments are now receiving unprecedented revenues under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. He said the agenda has helped establish macroeconomic stability and called on states and entrepreneurs to drive the nation’s shared prosperity.

Federal de-risking plans

The Federal Government has also applied de-risking measures in several sectors. In 2025, it announced plans to launch a de-risking fund to improve access to affordable financing for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across Nigeria.

Special Adviser to the President on Job Creation and MSMEs, Temitola Adekunle-Johnson, made this known at an event organised by the Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME) in Abuja. He said the initiative is part of the Tinubu administration’s plan to address high lending rates, currently as high as 28% to 30%, which continue to stifle MSME growth.

For Nigerian businesses, both the Delta fund and the federal de-risking plan target the same obstacle: the high cost of capital. If executed well, they could lower entry barriers for private investors and ease financing pressure on firms struggling under expensive borrowing.