Yemisi Izuora
In the global pursuit of climate action and inclusive economic growth, the need for sustainable solutions has never been more critical.
However, in Nigeria, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and startups continue to face significant challenges in accessing the resources needed to implement climate-resilient and socially impactful initiatives. Barriers, such as limited access to finance, lack of awareness or understanding of sustainable finance instruments, weak investor networks, and poor project structuring, persist.
To bridge these gaps, the Nigeria Green Bond Market Development Programme (NGBMDP) a strategic partnership of FMDQ Group Plc (FMDQ Group) and Financial Sector Deepening Africa (FSD Africa) has announced the launch of the Sustainable Finance Bootcamp.
This is a tailored programme designed to empower Nigerian businesses by providing them with the essential tools, knowledge, and strategic connections neededto unlock sustainable funding and scale high-impact, climate-resilient solutions.
Set to launch in August 2025, the Bootcamp will bring together SMEs, startups, and impact-driven enterprises across Nigeria’s sustainability space for a dynamic, hands-on learning experience. Through practical workshops and technical mentoring, the Programme will address critical barriers in green finance, increasing awareness of sustainable financial instruments and demystifying the complexities of building investor-grade projects.
Participants will gain exposure to practical workshops covering project development, structuring, and funding strategies for sustainability-focused initiatives. The curriculum will also include a session ondeveloping robust Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks, emphasising the importance of investor-grade bankability. The Bootcamp features personalised mentoring from industry-leading legal and financial experts, as well as live pitch sessions with institutional investors, enabling businesses to effectively showcase their ideas and attract vital funding to scale their impact.
Since its inception in 2018, the NGBMDP has played a catalytic role in shaping Nigeria’s green finance landscape. The Programme successfully supported the issuance of Nigeria’s first and second sovereign green bonds, along with landmark private sector green bond issuances by reputable entities such as Access Bank PLC, North South Power Limited and One Watt Solar, among others. In partnership with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Nigeria, the NGBMDP also developed the Nigeria Green Bond Guidelines, boosting investor confidence and establishing a benchmark for sustainable financial instruments. The Programme’s impact includes training hundreds of issuers, investors, and intermediaries across Nigeria and facilitating the certification of Agusto & Co. as the first local green bond verifier in the country. With transformative initiatives like the Bootcamp, the NGBMDP remains dedicated to advancing sustainable financial inclusion and market development in Nigeria.
The Sustainable Finance Bootcamp is supported by leading organisations, including the Bank of Industry, Rand Merchant Bank Nigeria Limited, Udo-Udoma & Belo-Osagie, and Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria, underscoring a multi-stakeholder commitment to empowering enterprises to become climate-resilient and socially inclusive. Applications are now open at https://bootcamp.fsdafrica.
FSD Africa is a specialist development agency funded by UK International Development and based in Nairobi. Established in 2012, it works to strengthen financial markets across sub-Saharan Africa to support inclusive growth and climate resilience. Operating in over thirty (30) countries, FSD Africa collaborates with regulators, policymakers, and market actors to design and implement reforms, build capacity, and deploy catalytic capital. FSD Africa focuses on green finance, risk markets, capital markets development, and financial inclusion, with the goal of mobilising long-term finance to address Africa’s most pressing challenges.
FMDQ Group is Africa’s first vertically integrated financial market infrastructure (FMI) group, strategically positioned to provide registration, listing, quotation and noting services; integrated trading platform, clearing & central counterparty, and settlement services for financial markets transactions; depository of securities, as well as data and information services, across the debt capital, foreign exchange, derivatives, and equity markets, through its wholly owned subsidiaries – FMDQ Securities Exchange Limited (“FMDQ Exchange”), FMDQ Clear Limited, FMDQ Depository Limited and FMDQ Private Markets Limited. As a sustainability-focused FMI group, FMDQ Group, through FMDQ Exchange, operates Africa’s premier Green Exchange – FMDQ Green Exchange – positioned to lead the transition towards a sustainable future.