Investment In Mutual Funds Hits N152bn

The President, Fund Man
agers Association of Nigeria (FMAN), Mr Michael Ademola has disclosed on Wednesday that N152 billion had so far been invested by Nigerians in mutual funds.
Ademola stated this when he led members of FMAN to a meeting with the Acting Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mr Mounir Gwarzo in Abuja.
A mutual fund is a professionally managed investment scheme that pulls money from many investors and invests the money in stocks, bonds, short-term money market instruments, other securities or assets or some combination of these investments.
The objective of the fund is to help investors diversify their investments and minimise risks.
Ademola said there was a need for the regulators to create more awareness about mutual funds, adding that enlightment would assist to boost the industry.
He promised that the association would work with the commission on the enlightenment of the investing public which would translate into a bigger fund market in the country.
The FMAN boss said currently there were 52 of such mutual funds invested in 10 different sectors with the largest being the equity based ones which presently stood at 45. He said between 2008 and 2009, about N19 billion was invested in mutual funds noting that as at last week, the figure has grown to N152 billion.
Also speaking, the acting SEC DG explained that one of the strategies of the new management of the commission was to embark on huge public enlightment programmes with other stakeholders to educate the investing public.
Gwazo said funds management was close to the heart of SEC as it was directly under its purview.
He said while dealing with others, the SEC will partner with other self regulatory organisations.