Lagos State will in June host the largest gathering of foreign investors from Commonwealth member countries.

This follows the formalisation of a strategic partnership between the State Government and the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC), on Thursday.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and CWEIC Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Samantha Cohen, signed Memorandum of Understanding at a joint press conference held at the State House in Marina, where both partners announced the hosting of 2026 Lagos Trade and Investment Summit tagged “Invest in Lagos 3.0”.

The collaboration, the Governor noted, reflected the State’s response to evolving global capital market realities, testifying to his administration’s commitment to position Lagos as a competitive sub-national economy capable of attracting, structuring, and converting investment into measurable growth.

No few than 600 investors, including development finance institutions, from across the Commonwealth countries are expected to attend the two-day summit billed to hold at Eko Hotels Convention Centre in Victoria Island.

The Commonwealth comprises 56 countries with a combined population of 2.7 billion and a GDP of $14.2 trillion. This is projected to reach $20 trillion by 2029. CWEIC, its private sector arm, has 150 strategic partners in 35 countries and investment hubs across the Commonwealth nations, including Lagos — Nigeria’s commercial capital.

Sanwo-Olu said CWEIC’s partnership embodied shared commitment to structured capital mobilisation, disciplined project presentation, and measurable transaction outcomes, adding that “Invest Lagos 3.0” would offer not just as a convening platform for Commonwealth investors, but also an economic growth acceleration mechanism.

He said: “Invest Lagos 3.0 is not going to be a ceremonial gathering. It is expected to be a transaction-focused investment platform built for capital alignment and project conversion. Its architecture and processes are intentional and structured for measurable investment outcomes. Every element of the Summit has been carefully designed to support disciplined engagement between project sponsors and capital providers.

“The summit is expected to convene between 500 and 600 high-level delegates, including global institutional investors, sovereign wealth entities, development finance institutions, multinational corporations, structured finance specialists, trade networks across the Commonwealth, and senior public sector leaders from multiple jurisdictions. It will represent one of the most concentrated assemblies of capital, policy influence, and strategic investment interest focused on a single African sub-national economy.”

Through the collaboration, Sanwo-Olu said Lagos would be strengthening its capacity to mobilise global capital, deepen cross-border trade relationships, and position itself as a premier destination for large-scale, transformative investment.

To maximise the benefits of the summit, the Governor said ‘Invest in Lagos 3.0” had been structured around core strategic objectives, including global profiling of Lagos International Financial Centre as a world-class financial gateway capable of serving regional and international capital flows, while creating structured access channels for domestic enterprises seeking growth capital.

Sanwo-Olu said Lagos would showcase bankable and investment-ready projects across priority sectors, while also facilitating structured investment matchmaking through a curated transaction-conversion mechanism designed to connect project sponsors with capital providers.

He said: “Under these frameworks, we are scaling transport infrastructure across road and rail corridors, strengthening logistics and port connectivity, investing in renewable energy systems, expanding digital infrastructure, accelerating housing development, deepening healthcare delivery systems and building industrial growth corridors that connect production to markets.

“Within this broader growth architecture, we remain deliberate about strengthening Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which account for more than 70 per cent of economic activity in Lagos and represent the backbone of employment generation, local production, service delivery, and innovation. Our investment strategy is designed not only to attract large institutional capital, but also to catalyse scalable private sector participation across value chains where MSMEs operate and expand.”

Cohen said Nigeria remained Commonwealth’s strongest network outside the UK, noting that the collaboration offered Lagos an advantage of up to 21 per cent to do business cheaper with Commonwealth member countries because of shared legal systems, language and trusted relationships.

She said the first edition of “Invest in Lagos” enabled the State to stablish a structured, credible destination for international investment. The second edition, Cohen pointed out, gave Lagos the opportunity to deepen its investment narrative with focused thematic sector engagement.

She said: “LTIS 2026 aligns directly with Lagos State’s T.H.E.M.E.S+ Agenda and the Lagos State Development Plan 2052 across infrastructure expansion and urban mobility, financial services deepening, trade facilitation and AfCFTA integration, energy security and industrial development, innovation, technology and human capital development. CWEIC will be deploying its globe-spanning network to bring a diverse and new cohort of investors and business leaders to Lagos in June.”

Cohen said the summit would feature plenary sessions, business roundtable, Deal Room, closed-door bilateral between CEOs and Governor, dinner and site visits.

Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Folashade Banda-Ambrose, said the collaboration came at a “defining moment” in Lagos’ growth journey, stressing that the effort would deepen investment inflows, stimulate private sector expansion, and accelerate economic transformation in Lagos.

“Global capital is increasingly gravitating toward jurisdictions that demonstrate credible leadership, institutional clarity, bankable pipelines, disciplined governance, and defined execution frameworks. Subnational governments compete directly by differentiating themselves through governance quality, policy coherence, and transaction ecosystem strength. Lagos recognises this structural shift and has positioned itself to compete effectively within it,” the Commissioner said.

The joint press conference was preceded by a courtesy visit to the Governor by CWEIC team led by Cohen and comprised Country chairman of CWEIC, Mr. Olasupo Shasore, SAN, Advisory Board member, Mr. Ayo Otuyalo, and Director, Mr. Obinna Anyanwu, among others. (The Nation)

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