Temi I. Popoola

Businesses need the right capital at every stage of their growth journey. Yesterday at #FTAfrica in London, I made the case for connecting founder funding, venture capital, private investment, and public markets to help Africa’s next generation of business champions scale, attract institutional investment, and compete globally. @FinancialTimes

Over the past few weeks, a conversation that began in Nairobi has taken us to Gaborone, Cairo and Addis Ababa, turning discussions about African capital market integration into practical action. With GDR programmes now live in Kenya, Botswana and Ethiopia, and Egypt's progressing through approval, the engagements around the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals offer have provided an opportunity to address the practical requirements for cross-border investor participation. We continue to work alongside exchanges, regulators and market participants to explore solutions around investor verification, distribution, settlement and custody within each market's regulatory framework. There is more work ahead, but the progress is encouraging. The priority is to build on these partnerships and support more efficient pathways for cross-border investment, contributing to the broader ambition of expanding investor access across Africa's 54 countries. @afreximbank @GeorgeElombi @OmarRadwn @AlikoDangote @TheOfficialBSE @EgxEgyptian @ESXEthiopia #AfricanCapitalMarkets #CrossBorderInvestment #CapitalFormation

The scale of capital formation we are seeing in Nigeria presents an opportunity to rethink how we attract investment and widen participation in our markets. This was a key part of my discussions in Singapore, where I joined @cenbank Governor, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, and other financial market leaders for the Nigeria–Asia Financial Connectivity Dialogue and an engagement with @SGXGroup These conversations were also a chance to reflect on the progress we have made and explore new opportunities for our capital market. #capitalmarkets

Good to be in Nairobi as we take another important step in building stronger connections across Africa’s capital markets. What started as a conversation with exchanges across the continent is beginning to take practical shape in Kenya. The opportunity is bigger than any one transaction: to create pathways for African capital to support African opportunities across borders. Kenya can be an important prototype for what we can scale across the continent. @AlikoDangote @frank_mwiti #capitalmarket

Technology is ultimately about reducing friction, widening participation and building a capital market that meets investors where they are. #ngxinvestwhatsapp

Nigeria’s return to FTSE Russell’s Frontier Market classification is an important milestone, but what stands out to me is what it says about the evolution of our market. Over the past few years, a lot of work has gone into improving how investors access the market, how transactions settle and how capital moves through the system. These things may not always make the headlines, but they matter when global investors decide where and how to allocate capital. We now have an opportunity to build on that progress, deepen liquidity, bring more quality businesses to market and connect Nigerian enterprise with a much wider pool of capital. That, to me, is where the real value of this milestone will be felt: not simply in the classification itself, but in what we do with the greater visibility and opportunity it creates. #ftserussell #frontiermarket #nigeria

Africa has significant pools of capital. The opportunity is to connect that capital more effectively to African businesses. Building stronger pathways for investment across the continent and widening retail participation can fundamentally change the scale and impact of Africa’s capital markets.

The significance of this transaction goes beyond its scale. It is also about what it makes possible. More Nigerians participating in economic growth as owners. Digital infrastructure bringing investment opportunities closer to people and ultimately, African capital funding African businesses.

For NGX Group, this transaction reflects the progress we have made in strengthening market infrastructure and expanding investor access. Through #NGXInvest Rail, we have enabled API connectivity across 50+ distribution channels, including stockbrokers, banks, fintechs and mobile operators Transactions of this scale can deepen Nigeria’s capital market and reinforce the public market as a viable source of long-term capital for Nigerian businesses. #dangoteIPOatNGX

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery IPO is a significant milestone for Nigeria’s capital market. It demonstrates our growing capacity to support businesses of global ambition and mobilise long-term capital for economic growth. As Alhaji Aliko Dangote has described it, this is an ‘IPO for the People’, one that creates an opportunity to broaden participation and ownership in one of Africa’s most significant industrial enterprises. Congratulations to Alhaji Aliko Dangote and the Dangote Petroleum Refinery team on this landmark milestone. #dangoteIPOatNGX

The transition to a net-zero economy is no longer just a sustainability conversation. It is increasingly about competitiveness, investor confidence and access to capital. This is the thinking behind NGX’s N-Zero programme, helping businesses move from climate ambition to practical, measurable action. With our corporate baseline assessments now underway, we are helping participating companies understand where they are today, identify the gaps and begin building credible pathways to net zero. #netzero #temitalks

FTSE Russell has confirmed that the reclassification of Nigeria to Frontier Market status will proceed from 21 September 2026. Importantly, following its further assessment, FTSE Russell noted that “no material settlement, operational, or funding issues have been observed since the implementation of the T+1 settlement cycle.” This is an important milestone, but the real opportunity is what comes next. We must turn greater international visibility into broader participation, deeper liquidity and more capital for Nigerian businesses. The reclassification is an opportunity to take the market further. #TemiPopoola #TP #FrontierMarkets #ftse

The future of wealth creation won't only be built by those who start businesses. It will be shaped by those who learn to invest in them. My conversation with James of @hardknocksedu #TP #temipopoola #capital

Someone recently asked for my take on the availability of local capital in our market. My answer is: the most important shift in Nigeria's capital market isn't just the growth in value. It's the widening conversation around what the market can do. More businesses are thinking about capital differently. More investors are paying attention. And increasingly, the market is being seen not simply as a place to trade securities, but as infrastructure for growth. That shift in mindset matters. It's how markets deepen. #TP #capitalmarket #tgif