Invest in Lagos Summit 3.0 set to boost capital flows, infrastructure, trade — Sanwo-Olu
2026-02-26 - 17:07
By Olasunkanmi Akoni LAGOS — Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has unveiled the 2026 Invest in Lagos Summit 3.0, the state’s flagship international investment platform, in partnership with the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC). The summit aims to position Lagos as Africa’s leading sub-national hub for capital flows, trade integration, financial innovation, and infrastructure development. The announcement was made on Thursday at Lagos House, Marina, where Governor Sanwo-Olu and CWEIC CEO, Samantha Cohen, outlined the programme, scheduled for 9th and 10th June, 2026. “Our ambition is clear,” Sanwo-Olu said. “Lagos must not only attract capital but also structure it. The city must convert investment conversations into deployable pipelines. Invest Lagos 3.0 aligns directly with our T.H.E.M.E.S+ Development Agenda and Lagos State Development Plan 2052.” He highlighted that the first two editions of the summit strengthened Lagos’ global investment visibility, catalyzed structured engagement with capital providers, and deepened strategic discussions around bankable projects across priority sectors. This year, the partnership with CWEIC is expected to expand global reach, mobilize capital, deepen cross-border trade, and position Lagos as a premier destination for transformative investment. Sanwo-Olu added that the summit is designed to drive private sector investment, stimulate enterprise growth, expand value chains, broaden the tax base, and strengthen fiscal sustainability, making it not just a convening platform, but a mechanism for economic growth acceleration. The 2026 summit is expected to host 500 to 600 high-level delegates, including global institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, development finance institutions, multinational corporations, structured finance specialists, trade networks across the Commonwealth, and senior public sector leaders. In her remarks, CWEIC CEO Samantha Cohen praised Lagos as a key African business hub. “Lagos has built something exceptional as a CWEIC partner. This investment programme enables trade facilitation, and we will bring international investors through the Commonwealth Private Sector Hub across 56 countries,” she said. Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Folashade Bada-Ambrose, noted that global capital increasingly gravitates toward jurisdictions with credible leadership, clear institutional frameworks, and bankable pipelines. She stressed that Invest Lagos 3.0 will produce measurable results, including signed MoUs, announced investment commitments, defined capital deployment timelines, and the establishment of a post-summit investment tracking framework to ensure accountability and execution discipline. The summit reflects Lagos State’s strategic effort to consolidate its position as a leading investment destination while accelerating infrastructure development, trade, and economic growth.