The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has unveiled a National Savings Scheme designed to integrate low- and middle-income Nigerians, including traders, farmers, and young graduates into regulated capital market investments.
Speaking at the National Capital Market Conference in Abuja, SEC Director-General Dr. Emomotimi Agama stated that funds under the initiative will be managed exclusively by SEC-registered professional asset managers.
Backed by the Investments and Securities Act (ISA) 2025, the scheme features structured tax incentives executed via partnerships with FSD Africa and the Nigeria Revenue Service to drive participation.
To get onboard, prospective individual investors and trade groups will access the scheme directly through licensed capital market operators, registered asset managers, and dedicated digital platforms linked to SEC-regulated financial intermediaries.
The initiative addresses a major structural gap in Nigeria’s financial architecture, where surging market valuations have consistently failed to translate into broad-based asset ownership among domestic households.
The announcement coincides with the launch of the Revised Nigerian Capital Market Master Plan (NCMMP 2.0) 2026–2036, which sets a strategic target to expand total market capitalization to N750 trillion.
Despite the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) All-Share Index gaining 60% in 2026 following a 51% surge in 2025, domestic retail participation has remained disproportionately thin relative to total economic output.
To ensure execution accountability, the SEC is setting up dedicated steering and implementation committees featuring strict timelines and public progress scorecards to measure actual domestic investor growth.
