“When A Young Person Walks Into A Bank,What Bank Often Sees Is Not An Asset,It Sees A Risk–Adesina

According to a report by Vanguard, on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, former President of the African Development Bank, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has called for increased investment in young Nigerian entrepreneurs, stressing that access to affordable capital is essential to helping them establish and expand businesses, create employment opportunities and build wealth.

Adesina said young people needed greater financial support to transform their ideas into viable businesses and contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s economic development.

He emphasised the importance of providing entrepreneurs with the resources required to develop their ventures, expand their operations and generate sustainable income.

According to him, investing in young people would help unlock their economic potential and create opportunities for them to participate more actively in wealth creation and national development.

Adesina made the call on Monday while delivering a speech titled, “Building the Demographic Asset Class”, at the Seyi Tinubu Colloquium in Lagos.

During his address, he highlighted the importance of recognising young Nigerians as valuable economic assets whose abilities and ideas could contribute to the country’s growth.

He stressed that supporting young entrepreneurs should be a priority for financial institutions and other stakeholders interested in economic development.

His presentation focused on the need to create an environment in which young people could access the funding required to establish businesses, develop innovative products and services, and build enterprises capable of providing employment for others.

The former African Development Bank president explained that access to affordable financing remained an important requirement for young entrepreneurs seeking to turn their business ideas into successful ventures.

He noted that many young people possessed the ambition and potential to establish businesses but faced difficulties securing the financial resources needed to begin or expand their operations.

According to him, the availability of capital could determine whether promising business ideas developed into sustainable enterprises or remained unrealised.

He therefore called for a financial system that would recognise the potential of young entrepreneurs and provide them with opportunities to obtain the funding necessary to grow their businesses and contribute to the economy.

Adesina also drew attention to the challenges young people encounter when approaching financial institutions for loans and other forms of business financing.

He explained that traditional lending practices often place considerable emphasis on collateral, making it difficult for entrepreneurs who have promising ideas but lack valuable assets to secure funding.

Many young business owners may have the skills, determination and innovative ideas needed to operate successful enterprises without possessing the property or other forms of security demanded by lenders.

Such requirements can restrict their access to finance and prevent them from taking advantage of business opportunities.

Adesina stressed the need for financial institutions to consider the potential of young entrepreneurs instead of relying solely on conventional measures when assessing their applications.

The call for increased investment also highlighted the relationship between entrepreneurship, employment generation and wealth creation.

Young entrepreneurs who receive adequate financial support can establish businesses that provide goods and services, employ workers and contribute to economic activity.

Access to affordable capital can also help existing businesses acquire equipment, improve production, reach new markets and strengthen their operations.

For Nigeria, where young people represent a significant part of the population, creating opportunities for entrepreneurship remains an important consideration in efforts to promote economic participation.

Adesina’s remarks at the Lagos event underscored the need for a financial environment that enables young Nigerians to access the resources required to develop their ideas and build sustainable businesses.

Speaking about the difficulties young entrepreneurs face when seeking financial assistance, Adesina said banks frequently viewed them as risky borrowers rather than recognising the potential value they could create.

He argued that the way financial institutions assess young people could influence their ability to obtain the capital required to establish and grow their businesses.

His remarks reinforced his call for a system that would give greater consideration to the prospects of young entrepreneurs, particularly those who lacked traditional collateral but possessed business ideas and the ambition to develop them.

He said, “When a young person walks into a bank, what the bank often sees is not an asset. It sees a risk.”

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