President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday said his administration’s financial and fiscal reforms have laid a solid foundation for Nigeria’s economic growth, as Deloitte Africa commended the government’s reform agenda and pledged support for investments, youth development and job creation.
The President spoke while receiving a delegation from Deloitte Africa, led by its Chief Executive Officer, Ruwayda Redfearn, at the State House in Abuja.
Tinubu said the reforms, implemented over the past three years, had steadily stabilised the economy and attracted growing recognition for improving key economic indicators.
“We are following the example of Deloitte’s greatness to change things from the foundation, building the necessary future for our people,” the President said.
He acknowledged that the reforms had come with challenges but insisted they were beginning to yield positive results.
“Yes, reforms are difficult. It has not been a McDonald’s customer relationship but a harvester of good things, if implemented well, and that is what we are about,” he said.
The President thanked Deloitte Africa for its interest in Nigeria’s economic transformation, noting that fiscal, revenue and tax reforms had repositioned the country for sustainable growth.
He said the reforms had strengthened the fiscal and revenue sectors, repositioned financial institutions and enhanced Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global economy.
“The reforms on revenue will continue to stimulate growth. Some issues are difficult because people have to take the bitter medicine, but it is working well. Nigeria is making serious foundational progress,” Tinubu added.
He also challenged Deloitte Africa to deepen its contribution to Nigeria’s economy by expanding youth training and recruitment programmes.
Recalling his early years in the accounting profession, Tinubu praised Deloitte’s reputation for professional development, adding, “Deloitte has a good training programme, and I believe you will continue to reflect that.”
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, also urged the global accounting and consulting firm to prioritise capacity building for Nigerian youths as part of its engagement with the country.
Earlier, Deloitte Africa CEO Ruwayda Redfearn reaffirmed the firm’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s reform agenda, describing the organisation as a global leader in digital and business transformation.
She disclosed that Deloitte employs more than 500,000 people worldwide, including over 6,000 across Africa, and generated $74 billion in revenue in 2025.
“We are before you to say that we want to serve. We have a local team on the ground that is ready, as well as the global firm, to support you and your administration as you lead the country,” Redfearn said.
Also speaking, Deloitte West Africa CEO, Yomi Olugbenro, said the company was encouraged by the progress made through the government’s reforms but stressed the need to ensure that the benefits reach ordinary Nigerians.
He said Deloitte’s experience in supporting governments across the world positioned the firm to help Nigeria maximise the gains of its economic reforms.
“We believe the ground has been solidly laid. The bigger work is really about how to cascade some of those big reforms further down and deliver the dividends of democracy to ordinary Nigerians,” Olugbenro said.
He added that Deloitte was ready to deploy its global expertise in support of Nigeria’s development priorities and looked forward to further engagement with the Federal Government.
