The Abuja Prosperity and Investment Laboratory (APIL), has unveiled a new platform aimed at transforming how investment opportunities are structured and financed at the subnational level.

The platform was launched at a high-level multi-stakeholder policy roundtable convened by BraveICONS Global (BIG) in collaboration with the National Chamber Policy Centre (NCPC).

Convener of APIL and Managing Partner of BIG, Mr. Fife Banks, said the initiative was conceived to bridge the gap between investment opportunities and capital by improving readiness, structuring and institutional coordination.

He said the platform would develop an initial portfolio of opportunities, assess investment readiness in Abuja, map key stakeholders across sectors and produce a baseline report to guide investment planning.

He said: “The platform will focus on identifying viable opportunities, improving investment readiness, supporting project preparation and structuring alongside strengthening alignment between public institutions and private capital.

“The platform contributes to national development by improving how investment opportunities are prepared and aligned with capital, which can lead to increased capital inflows, job creation, infrastructure delivery, and more efficient use of public resources.

“By addressing gaps in investment readiness and coordination, it supports stronger economic growth and enhances Nigeria’s ability to attract and deploy both domestic and foreign investment.”

Banks disclosed that a working group would be established to drive implementation of the platform.

He said Abuja would serve as the pilot location, with the model expected to be refined and scaled to other subnational entities subsequently.

He added, “APIL is designed to prevent viable opportunities from failing due to weak preparation, misalignment or inadequate structuring.”

He said one of the major outcomes of the roundtable was the recognition that investment mobilisation must shift from policy ambition to disciplined execution.

To support this transition, APIL will adopt a structured process to track opportunities from identification through readiness, structuring and investment, culminating in measurable outcomes.

He, however, said that APIL was not a funding vehicle, but a structured execution platform aimed at improving how capital was deployed into real, investable opportunities.

According to him, the unveiling of the platform marks the beginning of a coordinated, implementation-focused effort to strengthen systems that attract, structure and channel investment into viable projects at the subnational level.

He said the diverse participation at the roundtable underscored the need for coordinated, cross-sector approaches to investment mobilisation.

 He recalled that the roundtable was part of APIL’s broader mandate to design practical models that can be effectively implemented to mobilise investment at the subnational level.

The roundtable drew participants from government institutions, investment promotion agencies, financial institutions, development partners, diplomatic missions, academia and the private sector.