The National Pension Commission (PenCom) said it would focus on intensifying efforts to ensure further diversification of investments in pension fund portfolio assets.

The Director-General, PenCom, Mrs. Aisha Dahir-Umar, stated this in the Commission’s 2022 fourth-quarter report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

Dahiru-Umar said the Commission had stepped up its efforts to ensure sustainable investment by pension funds in alternative asset classes, during the quarter under review.

She said that PenCom also structured infrastructure projects that met the strict requirements of the Pension Fund Investments Regulation.

According to her, the Commission is making efforts to ensure that the average annual pension fund returns for Retirement Savings Account (RSA) and legacy funds exceed headline inflation.

“We continued our efforts to ensure further diversification of investments in pension fund portfolio assets.

“While rising inflation continues to challenge the Nigerian economy, it should be noted that efforts are being made to ensure average annual pension fund returns for RSA and legacy funds exceed headline inflation,” she added.

Dahir-Umar stated that the significant achievement in the Nigerian pension industry would not have been possible without the right people, strategy, culture and governance structure to support delivering consistent and sustainable value to all stakeholders.

She pledged the commission’s unwavering commitment to meeting the needs of its stakeholders, and providing best practices in pension regulation and supervision in Nigeria.