This article was produced with the support of Invest in Lagos 3.0
The city of Lagos is the smallest state in Nigeria by land area, but an economic giant of continental proportions. Nigeria’s former federal capital contributes 30% of the national GDP with total revenue for 2025 at an impressive 2.6 trillion naira ($1.9bn). It handles 70% of the country’s maritime cargo through three port facilities, including the modern Lekki Deep Sea Port. Lagos prides itself on its unique position as the home of a mammoth, enthusiastic consumer market and a budding, innovative population currently estimated at about 23m.
Between 8 and 9 June the potential of the state will be on display as over 1,000 delegates, including members of the global investment community and high-level representatives from the Commonwealth of Nations, converge for Invest in Lagos 3.0, the third iteration of a marketing platform for the opportunities that the state offers. This edition will be held at the Eko Hotel and Suites, with the theme: “Lagos: The business gateway to Africa – where innovation meets capital”.
Folasade Ambrose-Medebem, the state Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives and Investment, says that the conference, which the Lagos State Government is organising in partnership with the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC), will attract local and foreign direct investment worth 4 trillion naira.
Lagos is ready for business and investors
With a market offering not just scale but significant depth, ranging from high-end financial services to a growing middle class that drives agriculture, manufacturing and real estate, the state is now a destination for investors poised to turn African potential into global gain.
A gateway, however, is only as effective as the infrastructure it has built and continues to build. Lagos will showcase its infrastructure development during Invest in Lagos 3.0 through guided tours of transformative projects that are reshaping logistics across the state.
There is the industrial hub of the Lekki Free Trade Zone, where investors will find the Dangote Refinery – the $20bn plant reputed to be the largest single-train refinery in the world. There is the Lekki Deep Seaport (above), as well as the RusselSmith 3D Manufacturing Centre.
The integration of the Lagos Blue and Red Line railways demonstrates a commitment to modernising and easing mobility. And the Omi-Eko initiative represents the final piece of the state’s long-standing quest to develop a truly multimodal transport system. By fully utilising its expansive waterways as modern, well-managed avenues for public transportation, the state is decongesting roads and redefining urban mobility for people, goods and services.
Lagos as technological gateway
Lagos is the most vibrant tech hub on the continent, hosting the highest concentration of tech startups, estimated to number over 2,000. It is the testing ground for fintech solutions that ultimately get exported to the rest of the world. Lagos is thus leading the creation of a smart gateway that reduces the frictions often associated with everyday business.
Invest in Lagos 3.0 will reflect the state’s commitment to cutting-edge innovation. It will deploy an AI-enabled dashboard to relay proceedings to a global audience in real-time. The digital command-based system will be operated and managed by undergraduates from universities within Lagos, signalling the emergence of a tech-literate workforce ready to take on the challenges of a global economy.
Over two days the organisers of the summit will present Lagos as the centre of African development. Investors will see a state that is moving fast beyond the potential of the past into an era of measurable, sustainable performance. Its government will be assuring global investors of its long-term vision to institutionalise global partnership and engagement. It would also assure them that Africa’s doors are open for business and that the keys are in Lagos, the city of aquatic splendour.