President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness to welcome both local and foreign investors, assuring that the country remains open for business partnerships and innovation.

Speaking at the 39th edition of the Lagos International Trade Fair organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Friday, Tinubu, represented by the Minister of State for Industry, John Enoh, said Nigeria’s doors were open to investors seeking opportunities in Africa’s largest economy.

The fair, which runs from November 7 to 16, is showcasing the best of Nigerian entrepreneurship, creativity, and global economic partnerships.

Tinubu stated that the government was restructuring policies to promote stability and transparency in the business environment. He emphasised that Nigeria was committed to “stable policies instead of sudden reversals,” honouring contracts, and providing “transparent incentives for manufacturers, exporters, and small businesses.”

The President also assured participants of ongoing reforms, including digitised ports, one-stop shops for business permits, smarter taxation, and faster dispute resolution to enhance ease of doing business.

Highlighting Nigeria’s economic potential, Tinubu said the country was not only a “market of over 200 million people,” but also a nation of “ideas, youthful brilliance, and limitless potential waiting to be scaled up.”

He described the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as “the most ambitious economic project in modern Africa,” noting that it would create a market of 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP of $3.4 trillion. According to him, “Nigeria must not only participate in it, but must lead it.”

Tinubu further said, “This fair provides the partnerships, conversations, and networks that will take Nigerian products, from textiles to technology, cocoa to creative arts, to every corner of the continent and beyond. As you network, trade, and showcase your work, remember that every product made in Nigeria is a statement of confidence and every partnership formed here is a step towards shared prosperity.”

In his address, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folasade Ambrose-Medebem, said the fair’s theme, “Connecting Business, Creating Value,” reflected the spirit of Lagos — a “dynamic hub where vision meets value, and enterprise meets opportunity.”

Sanwo-Olu said investing in Lagos was equivalent to investing in a city of over 23 million people — a market filled with “dreamers and doers,” driven by youth, technology, and innovation.

He noted that the state government was committed to creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive, with deliberate efforts to strengthen trade and commerce through streamlined investment procedures, efficient land and trade documentation, and improved access to data for investors.

According to the governor, his administration’s focus includes supporting MSMEs, cooperatives, and inclusive growth. He added that one of its key priorities was “innovative financing,” which provides new ways for businesses to access funds and reach new markets.

“We are also working to deepen the reach of our trade facilitation efforts, which connect Lagos-based businesses to regional and international buyers. At the fair each year, new partnerships are born, partnerships that lead to new factories, export deals, and job opportunities. This is the power of connection. This is the value of Lagos. To our exhibitors and visitors: Lagos is open. Engage, connect, explore, and build. Whether you are here from Ghana or Germany, Japan or Jos, know that Lagos is your home for commerce,” Sanwo-Olu said.

Also speaking, LCCI President Gabriel Idahosa described the fair as “an incubator of ideas and a catalyst for commerce,” providing enterprises with the opportunity to “showcase resilience-driven solutions, explore synergies, and drive sustainable growth.”

Idahosa commended both federal and state governments for their participation, saying it demonstrated their commitment to empowering the private sector to produce for local consumption and export.

He urged Nigerian entrepreneurs to take advantage of the fair to establish distributorships, sign trade agreements, and build partnerships that would strengthen their value chains and diversify their products.

• Tokunbo Wahab outline summit task to close the gap between ambition and funding.

The 11th Lagos International Climate Change Summit convened on November 6, 2025, at the Lagos Continental Hotel, drawing delegates from across Africa and beyond. Goodwill messages from the Dutch government, Chinese embassy, UK high commission, and German consulate opened proceedings, signalling the global stakes in what the city plans to do with its 187 kilometres of coastline. These opening salutes were not mere formalities; they signalled a readiness among international partners to back Lagos’s bid to transform its marine frontier from a site of erosion and flood risk into an engine of sustainable growth.

Tokunbo Wahab, Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, the man of the moment in his opening remarks, urged participants to see the ocean as a living system requiring careful management, not a resource open to unchecked extraction. Despite repeated floods and erosion, Lagos’s marine waters remain the artery for trade and the livelihood base for thousands of fisherfolk. Wahab said the summit’s task was to close the gap between climate ambition and the capital required to realise it. Concrete steps, he noted, were already in motion.

Day one unfolded with sessions that grounded these high-level pledges in specifics. Representatives from Eko Atlantic City, the audacious reclamation project that has added 10 square kilometres to Lagos’s landmass, shared insights on engineering resilience at scale.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu laid out the central argument on day one. Lagos must convert its blue waters into green wealth through three linked priorities: coastal resilience, ocean innovation, and targeted financing. He described resilience measures already under way, including the Great Wall of Lagos and the Omi Èkó Initiative for cleaner lagoon transport. Innovation, he said, would reconfigure commerce and mobility, from data-driven fisheries to low-emission ferries. Financing would follow, with the state positioning itself as a stable bet for investors seeking both returns and planetary security.

Sanwo-Olu stressed that the summit served two purposes. First, it would strengthen adaptation measures to protect the city and the wider region. Second, it would create a platform where innovators, policymakers, and investors could design business models that preserve the natural balance of the ocean. He presented Lagos as proof that economic growth and decarbonisation can advance in tandem, and he framed the blue economy as a continental lifeline rather than a niche sector.

Dr Dayo Mobereola, Director-General of NIMASA, spoke for the federal Minister for Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola. He confirmed federal reforms to improve maritime governance and environmental standards, with Lagos positioned as the linchpin. The minister pledged continued partnership with state and private actors to secure sea lanes, expand sustainable marine industries, and deliver lasting benefits to coastal communities.

The afternoon of day one ended with the launch of the Lagos State Climate Investment Opportunities Diagnostic (CIOD). Produced with the International Finance Corporation and other partners, the report maps investment-ready projects across four sectors: built environment and energy, transportation, solid waste, and water and wastewater. It aligns with the Lagos Climate Action Plan and the Lagos Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan, targeting a 25 per cent cut in greenhouse-gas emissions by 2035 against a 2020 baseline.

The CIOD estimates a total requirement of ₦25 trillion, with 81 per cent expected from private sources. Priority projects include grid-scale renewables, rooftop solar on public buildings, light-rail and BRT expansion, waste-to-energy plants, and upgraded wastewater treatment. Enabling instruments range from green bonds and blended finance to public-private partnerships and land-value capture. Recent legislation, such as the Lagos State Electricity Law, gives the state authority over power generation and distribution, clearing a path for large renewable schemes. The report also calls for stronger regulatory frameworks, better climate data systems, and the integration of sustainability into fiscal planning.

A session on climate finance followed, led by a KPMG expert who dissected the mechanics of mobilising capital for blue initiatives. Drawing on the firm’s global advisory work, the speaker outlined blended finance models, mixing public guarantees with private equity, to de-risk investments in ocean renewables and coastal restoration. Lagos’s regulatory reforms, such as the State Electricity Law granting local control over power markets, were praised as enablers for solar and wind scaling.

Biodun Coker, a stock market specialist, took the floor to delve into financing’s front lines, focusing on the nascent Lagos Carbon Registry. In partnership with the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), the registry aims to verify and trade emission offsets from urban greening and marine conservation. Coker explained the operational nuts and bolts: blockchain-ledgers for transparent crediting, third-party audits to prevent greenwashing, and incentives for smallholders.

Mr Mosopefolu George, the commissioner for Budget and Planning also gave a keynote that was followed by a panel including Iyin Aboyeji of Future Africa, Bukola Odoe, head of Exploration and Innovation lab UNDP amongst others which was focused on unlocking private capital for Africa’s Blue Economy.

A panel on protecting coastal ecosystems closed the first day. Dr Tunde Ajayi of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, Oluwadamilola Emmanuel (senior special assistant to the governor on blue economy), and other speakers examined policy enforcement and community-led conservation. The Oniru of Iru Land, Oba Abdulwasiu Omogbolahan Lawal, Abisogun the second had earlier delivered a keynote on the same theme, arguing that ecosystem protection must include direct investment in local communities to ensure both conservation and prosperity.

Lagos will be at COP30 not as supplicant, but strategist. Lagos arrives not cap in hand, but blueprint in fist. It’s a city that knows oceans give and take with equal indifference, yet dares to court them anyway. The blue economy, as Wahab and Sanwo-Olu articulated, offers a pathway where Africa’s coasts yield wealth without depletion: $406 billion continent-wide if harnessed right. Yet substance demands scrutiny. The ₦25 trillion ask looms large against naira volatility and investor hesitancy but lagos is charting a course forward regardless.

The Lagos energy is best felt in the goodwill message from the representative of the Osun state governor, who quipped, “We draw strength from our big brother as they surge ahead.”

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed November 20 for judgment in the terrorism trial of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The decision was made on Friday following Kanu’s failure to open his defence after exhausting the six days earlier granted by the court to present his case.

Justice Omotosho, while delivering the ruling, held that the defendant had ample opportunity to conduct his defence but failed to take advantage of it. He stated that since Kanu did not utilise the period allocated to him, he could not claim to have been denied his constitutionally guaranteed right to a fair hearing.

The court’s judgment on the terrorism charges filed against Kanu by the federal government is therefore expected to be delivered on November 20.