The Federal Government has commenced the implementation phase of its economic and financial inclusion strategy, aimed at expanding access to opportunities for vulnerable Nigerians.
As part of the efforts, an inter-agency task force has been inaugurated to address bottlenecks delaying President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approved conditional cash transfers to 15 million households.
At the inaugural meeting of the Technical Committee of the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion (PreCEFI) held in Abuja, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Sen. Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, said the task force would align government stakeholders around the president’s vision.
“We are off to a very good start. What has driven success so far is inclusive stakeholder engagement. Financial inclusion goes beyond opening bank accounts—it involves access to credit, quality services, and digital visibility,” Hadejia said.
He recalled global examples discussed at the recent World Bank Spring Meetings, citing India’s progress in lifting its population out of poverty through technology-driven financial inclusion.
Also speaking, the committee’s Secretary, Dr. Nurudeen Abubakar Zauro, who serves as Technical Adviser to the President on Financial Inclusion, said the committee had approved a strategic roadmap and governance framework for implementation.
He said the inter-agency task force would work to unblock delays in the cash transfer programme and ensure timely disbursement of support to beneficiaries.
Agencies represented in the task force include the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO), National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS).
Zauro added that PreCEFI would collaborate with state governments to domesticate financial access data gathered through the EFInA Access to Financial Services survey.
“We will present the findings to the National Economic Council and Nigerian Governors Forum to drive subnational implementation,” he said.
On her part, the Director-General of NIMC, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, said digital identity would serve as a foundation for financial inclusion.
“The NIN bridges the divide across sectors—health, education, agriculture—and supports robust national data systems,” she said.
Similarly, Dr. Aisha A. Isa-Olatinwo, Director of Consumer Protection and Financial Inclusion at the CBN, urged the committee to prioritise solutions that directly benefit low-income Nigerians.
“Financial inclusion is one of the eight pillars of the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” she said.
Also speaking, Prof. Olayinka David-West, Dean of the Lagos Business School, noted that the committee’s deliberations were focused on solving real challenges affecting the inclusion agenda.
“Economic and financial inclusion is everyone’s concern,” she said.
Other institutions represented included the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NITDA, NCC, BOI, FCCPC, Ahmadu Bello University, Gates Foundation, Egbaraden Traditional Council, IQS Africa, and Google.
