The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to far-reaching financial sector reforms and macroeconomic stability.

He stated this when he hosted a high-level delegation from British International Investment (BII), the United Kingdom’s development finance institution.

Cardoso received the BII delegation, led by its Chair, Diana Layfield, alongside the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, in Abuja, in what the apex bank described as part of sustained engagement with long-term institutional investors.

At the meeting, the CBN Governor underscored the bank’s resolve to entrench credible monetary policy, restore confidence in the financial system and strengthen regulatory transparency through data-driven supervision.

He said the measures were critical to enhancing banking sector resilience, improving financial intermediation and supporting sustainable economic growth.

According to Cardoso, Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) with a long-term investment horizon and strong governance standards remain central to Nigeria’s reform agenda, particularly as the country seeks to crowd in patient capital to stabilise the banking system and expand access to finance.

Discussions at the meeting centred on recent developments in Nigeria’s financial services sector, BII’s investment outlook and opportunities to deploy long-term capital in areas such as banking sector stability, financial inclusion, and private-sector-led growth.

Layfield reaffirmed BII’s strong interest in Nigeria, noting that regulatory clarity, policy consistency and sustained engagement with authorities were essential to unlocking investment and delivering inclusive growth outcomes.

She said BII remained committed to supporting reforms that deepen financial markets and strengthen institutional capacity.

The meeting was attended by senior members of BII’s Board and management, including the Chief Executive Officer, Leslie Maarsdorp; Non-Executive Directors, Andrew Alli and Simon Rowlands; the Managing Director and Head of Africa, Chris Chijiutomi and the West Africa Regional Director and Head of the Nigeria Office, Benson Adenuga.

BII, formerly CDC Group, is the UK Government’s development finance institution, wholly owned by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

It manages assets of £9.9 billion and supports more than 1,600 businesses across Africa, Asia and other emerging markets.