On the sacred connection between politics and economy and distractions over the year 2027

Today, the interplay between politics and the economy will be revealed at an annual conference in Lagos, where numerous experts from the public and private sectors will speak.

To say that government policy drives the economy is to state the obvious. The BusinessDay CEO Forum brings together the crème de la crème of public and private sector practitioners to point the way to a strong economy.

While civil servants would explain the government’s policies and how they promote ease of doing business, the private sector representatives would tell the government, drawing on their wealth of experience, about the need to constantly put a human face to its policies.

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In addition to the array of speakers expected at the event from Nigeria, some others will be arriving from other African countries. In fact, they have already arrived at the event.

The theme of the premium event is “Leadership in Challenging Economic Times.” The organizers are up-to-date with the economic challenges facing many countries around the world, even outside Africa. They have crafted subtitles to reflect what is happening elsewhere and the lessons that need to be learned to achieve better results in Nigeria.

The keywords around the world today are innovation and reinvention. Every successful nation or company must learn to innovate in order to thrive. Therefore, the audience will be guided through a section titled “Thriving in an Age of Constant Reinvention.”

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, will be at the Federal Palace Hotel in Victoria Island where an event will be held to underscore that the federal government is on the right track in its monetary policy that will lead to economic recovery.

He would be on the hot seat known as the “Fireside” where he would be engaged in a wide-ranging chat with Frank Aigbogun, the publisher of BusinessDay himself. The discussion would focus on “Revitalizing the Nigerian Economy: Strategic Monetary Policy for Sustainable Growth.”

We said earlier that experts from other African countries are already here. For example, Patrick Njoroge, former governor of the Central Bank of Kenya, is one of the keynote speakers.

Njoroge will deliver a keynote address on “Africa’s Path to the Moon by 2050: Implementation and Innovation.” He will share with the audience what he has seen in Africa as he peers into the future through his leadership binoculars.

“It is difficult to lead today, in both the public and private sectors, without adapting to new strategies.”

It is difficult to lead today, in both the public and private sectors, without adapting to new strategies.

Robert Allen Iger, an American businessman who served as CEO of The Walt Disney Company, as well as Chairman of the Board and Executive Chairman from 2005 to 2020, said: “If you don’t innovate, you die.”

Innovation has become a buzzword in all sectors of the economy. This explains why business owners are constantly looking for ideas on how to keep their companies on the path to growth.

You may ask, what is it that worries the Nigerian legislator about the CEO Forum? The answer is simply, “a lot”! Do you know why? All the laws and acts that enable or prevent business activities emanate from the Nigerian bicameral Houses of the National Assembly, as well as the state Houses of Assembly across the country.

That is why it is very important that those who create such laws not only say what they see, but also listen to those who work in the private sector.

For this reason, in essence, the legislature would be represented by one of its most important figures, Senate Leader Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, who would deliver a goodwill message titled “Charting the Way Forward: A Message of Resilience and Unity.”

Also read: Lagos Master Plan: Canal, Right of Way and the Politics in Between

Catharine Duggan, Professor and Director of the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town, will address attendees on “Lessons from Dragon: The Role of Government and Elites in China’s Economic Rise and Insights for Nigeria.”

You may want to know what concerns leadership and partnership with the country’s economy. This insight will be provided by Yomi Ademola, Chairman, West Africa, Rendeavou/Managing Director, Alaro City.

The other members are Killian Khanoba, senior partner at Kreston Pedabo; Ayotunde Coker, CEO of Open Access Data Centres Limited; and Chukwuma Nwanze, CEO of Credit Direct Limited, a FCMB Group company.

The topic of their presentation will be “Leadership and Partnership: Building Value in a Challenging Economy.”

Some state governors will be present to share their governance experiences and brief the audience on the situation in their states.

These governors would include Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Umar Namadi of Jigawa State and Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State.

There is a session that will be attended by women only. The panelists in this section were not chosen simply because the organizers thought it would be nice to have a gender balance for the sake of it.

The panel members were shortlisted based on their merit, extensive experience and the tremendous work they do in influencing the Nigerian economy.

The Amazons include: Olubunmi Oluwaseun Keku, Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN); Stella Okotete, Executive Director, Business Development Nigeria Export and Import Bank (NEXIM); Bolanle Austen-Peters, Founder/CEO, Terra Kulture; Juliet Ehimuan, CEO, Lagos Business School (LBS); and Funmi Ogube, Co-Founder, Zigma.

They will deliver a talk to the audience entitled “Adaptation Strategies: Leading in the Face of Economic Challenges.”

By the time the CEO Forum 2024 begins, the link between politics and the economy would already be clearly visible.