• Ajudua to lead Nigeria’s deal room
The Group Chief Executive of Oando Plc, Wale Tinubu, will participate in the 2026 World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, where discussions are expected to focus on Africa’s energy priorities.

According to the company, Tinubu’s engagement at the meeting will centre on Africa’s energy security, the role of finance in driving growth within the energy sector and the contribution of indigenous companies to delivering bankable projects in a decarbonising global economy.

The discussions are also expected to examine how technology, including artificial intelligence (AI) and South-South partnerships, could unlock efficiencies, improve project economics and attract long-term capital into Africa’s energy sector.

Tinubu will speak at the debut of Nigeria House at Davos, marking the first time the country is hosting a dedicated national platform at WEF.

As Nigeria explores investments at the ongoing forum (WEF), a legal practitioner and entrepreneur, Bobo Ajudua, has been appointed to lead the Deal Room at Nigeria House.

The Deal Room functions as the commercial hub of Nigeria House, where investor interest generated during the forum is channelled into structured negotiations, partnerships and potential transactions.

Nigeria House Davos brings together some of the country’s most influential public and private sector leaders, including Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, alongside senior government officials, global investors, and industry leaders.

The platform has quickly become a focal point for Nigeria’s international economic diplomacy, offering a coordinated narrative of reform, opportunity and readiness for global capital.

Ajudua’s role involves coordinating deal facilitation across sectors prioritised by Nigeria’s economic strategy, including energy, infrastructure, oil and gas, technology and the creative economy.

Confirming the appointment in a release as well as his role, Ajudua said the focus of the Deal Room was to move engagements beyond expressions of interest towards executable agreements.

Aiming at translating reform messaging and sectoral potential into commercially viable outcomes, Ajudua’s appointment reflects a growing emphasis on technical deal execution rather than symbolic participation at global economic gatherings.

For Nigeria, which has often struggled to convert high-level engagements into concrete investments, the effectiveness of platforms such as the Deal Room could be measured less by announcements and more by post-forum closures and capital inflows.

The Nigerian House is expected to signal a shift in how it presents itself at global investment fora, moving from fragmented representation to a more coordinated national narrative that aligns policy direction with private sector execution.

Tinubu’s participation is expected to underline the role of local operators in linking policy objectives with investor expectations.

He will join other business executives and government officials at a high-level Africa collective session focused on African multilateral financial institutions. The session will bring together policymakers and leaders of development finance institutions to discuss capital mobilisation, risk-sharing and financing structures required to support large-scale infrastructure and energy investments across the continent.

Panellists at the session include Dr George Elombi, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank; Samaila Zubairu, President and Chief Executive Officer of Africa Finance Corporation (AFC); Thierno Habib Hann, Managing Director of Shelter Afrique; Marco Arcelli, Chief Executive Officer of ACWA Power; Matteo Patrone, Vice President, Banking and Executive Committee Member at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development s well as Wale Edun, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.