Nigerian civil society demands global, domestic reform ahead of UN financing summit

By Uzair Adam On May 14, 2025

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As preparations intensify for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), scheduled to take place on June 30, 2025, in Seville, Spain, Nigerian civil society organisations have called for urgent global reforms and immediate domestic policy action to address the worsening financing challenges facing the Global South.

This was contained in a newly released report on Tuesday by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), in partnership with Oxfam in Nigeria, Christian Aid, International Budget Partnership, Tax Justice & Governance Platform, Connected Development, and other key partners under the Africa Agenda on Financing for Development (Agenda Afrique).

The report, titled “Financing for Development in Nigeria: Sectoral Context and Insights for the Fourth International Conference,” paints a grim picture of Nigeria’s development challenges, warning that the country is battling a multidimensional financing gap worsened by low domestic revenue generation, unfair global financial rules, and mounting climate vulnerabilities.

It highlights that essential sectors such as education, health, agriculture, and climate resilience are grossly underfunded.

“Education spending falls below UNESCO benchmarks, health expenditure remains under 4% of GDP, and the country loses over \$18 billion annually to illicit financial flows,” the report notes.

It adds that Nigeria’s debt service-to-revenue ratio has now crossed 70 percent, severely restricting investment in human development.

While acknowledging global frameworks like the AU’s Agenda 2063, ECOWAS Vision 2050, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the report argues that the main problem is not the absence of plans, but poor implementation driven by corruption, weak budget systems, outdated data, and fragile public financial management.

It also points out that most Nigerian states lack actionable development blueprints, making progress tracking and investment attraction extremely difficult.

“Without decisive and deliberate efforts to bridge these financing gaps at both national and sub-national levels, Nigeria will continue to fall behind,” it warns.

Looking ahead to FfD4, Nigeria is using the global platform to push for comprehensive reforms in the international financial architecture.

The report calls for overhauling global tax rules, expanding access to climate finance, and creating new concessional financing frameworks that reflect the realities of countries with large populations living in poverty.

“We urge the international community to prioritise loss and damage financing, equitable access to green investments, and reform of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) to better support middle-income countries carrying high poverty burdens,” it adds.

Domestically, the report recommends several reforms to strengthen Nigeria’s fiscal position. These include adopting digital tax systems, simplifying trade processes to boost industrialisation, launching anti-corruption drives, and creating development finance facilities to encourage private investment in infrastructure and social services.

It also calls for peer learning platforms to foster innovation in sub-national financing.

The report raises concern over Nigeria’s growing brain drain crisis, linking the exodus of skilled professionals—particularly youths—to the absence of inclusive economic opportunities.

“If we fail to invest in youth-centred policies and job creation, our best minds will continue to seek prosperity elsewhere,” it warns.

As the world prepares for the FfD4 summit, Nigerian civil society is positioning the country to play a leading role in global discussions on development financing.

“This moment is pivotal,” the report concludes. “As the global community gathers to renew its financing commitments, Nigeria stands ready to champion equity, accountability, and inclusion in the international financial system.”