Lagos: The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has positioned Lagos as Africa’s leading investment gateway, highlighting its potential for trade, innovation, infrastructure development, and economic expansion across the continent. Addressing attendees at the third edition of the Invest Lagos Summit 3.0, Sanwo-Olu emphasized the strategic importance of Lagos, which is home to over 25 million residents and boasts a rapidly growing economy.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Sanwo-Olu outlined the city’s sustained investments in sectors such as transport, technology, agriculture, and human capital development, which have bolstered its competitiveness. He also pointed to major infrastructure projects, including the Blue and Red Rail Lines, and the ongoing work on the Green Line, as key initiatives enhancing Lagos’s connectivity, productivity, and investment appeal.
Sanwo-Olu articulated the state’s ambition to become a human-centered global city where innovation and business opportunities thrive. He underscored the importance of strategic partnerships with development finance institutions, multilateral organizations, and private investors to achieve long-term economic transformation goals. The governor noted that the success of these initiatives would be measured by the investments secured, jobs created, and lives improved, and he emphasized that the summit aimed to deliver tangible outcomes.
Lord Marland, Chairman of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC), praised Lagos as Nigeria’s economic heartbeat, capable of addressing global challenges such as disruptions in trade, energy security, food systems, and climate resilience. He highlighted Nigeria’s resources and entrepreneurial capacity as critical to driving progress and economic growth.
Earlier, Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, reinforced Lagos’s status as Africa’s most dynamic commercial hub. She described the summit as one of Africa’s foremost sub-national investment platforms, connecting investors with opportunities in various sectors. Ambrose-Medebem reaffirmed the state’s commitment to fostering an investor-friendly environment through policy reforms, public-private partnerships, and strategic infrastructure investments.
The summit attracted a diverse range of participants, including governors, diplomats, financiers, development institutions, corporate executives, and investors from Nigeria and abroad. Notable attendees included Dr. Alex Otti of Abia, Sen. Hope Uzodinma of Imo, Dr. Agbu Kefas of Taraba, and Mr. Abdullahi Sule of Nassarawa State, who participated in a panel discussion to share ideas, challenges, and success stories.