Commodities Exchanges, Warehouses Can Unlock $500bn – Agama
The Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dr Emomotimi Agama, says that formalising commodities and warehouse receipts in the capital market can unlock $500 billion in dormant agricultural and mineral assets.
Agama said this at the workshop the 2025 Workshop of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) on Tuesday in Abuja. He said the move would transform the receipts into tradeable securities, help the economy diversify from the oil and gas industry, and create wealth for the country.
Agama explained that the Investments and Securities Act (ISA, 2025) had empowered the commission to take decisive actions to promote the sector. “The Act sharpens SEC’s regulatory focus, ensuring it operates with the precision and authority required to steward a rapidly expanding market.
“Today, I speak not just about the ISA 2025 as a legislative milestone, but as a strategic blueprint to propel Nigeria into the league of top global economies.
”This Act is not merely an update—it is a revolution.
”It dismantles legacy constraints, embeds global best practices, and positions our market as the engine room for national prosperity.
”The question before us is no longer if Nigeria can achieve a $1 trillion economy, but how soon—and the capital market, under this new Act, will be the accelerant,” he said.
Agama said the commission had explicit powers to shut down Ponzi schemes and prosecute offenders, ending the era of “get-rich-quick” scams that erode market confidence.
“Investors are now covered for losses from revoked dealer licenses, a long-awaited safeguard that will boost participation.
”Trust is the currency of our capital markets, without it, liquidity dries up,” he said. The theme of the workshop is: “Capital Formation in Nigeria: Strengthening Industry, Institutions and Markets to bolster a $1 trillion Economy. #Commodities Exchanges, Warehouses Can Unlock $500bn – Agama Euro Steady at $1.16, ECB to Pause Rate Cuts
