President Bola Tinubu has described the Lagos International Trade Fair organised by the Lagos Chamber of Com- merce and Industry (LCCI) open saying the platform is the engine room of the nation’s future symbolising Nigerian enterprise, creativity, resilience.
Tinubu made this disclosure in his speech to the public, participants, exhibitors, sponsors and investors the 2025 Lagos International Trade Fair (LITF), in Lagos, yesterday.
President Tinubu who was represented by the Minister of State for Indus- try, Trade and Investment, Sen. John Owan Enoh,.explaining that the LITF was a pivotal moment for Nigeria and the world.
The President said, “Distinguished captains of industry, members of the diplomatic corps, entrepreneurs, innovators, exhibitors from across Nigeria, Africa, and the world, it is with renewed optimism that I declare open the 2025 Lagos International Trade Fair. “This year’s fair comes at an extraordinary moment.
The global economy is recalibrating, and supply chains are being reimagined. Nations that act with courage and clarity will define the next decade.
Under the Renewed Hope Agenda we are moving purposefully from potential to productivity, rebuilding the fundamentals of our economy, deepening investor confidence, and championing local industry, innovation, and trade.
“Over the past two years, we have taken deliberate, sometimes difficult, but necessary steps such as fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange unification to restore transparency, rebuild investor trust, and place Nigeria on a sustainable fiscal path.
“Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) reforms, which have reduced business registration timelines, digitized port operations, and simplified regulatory procedures.° “$5 billion in new manufacturing, fintech, and energy investments attracted through policy clarity and investor engagement. Nigeria Startup Act implementation: Empowering our young innovators, creative entrepreneurs, and digital exporters.
“Expansion of Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs) – where farm produce is turned into finished goods in Kano, Ogun, Kaduna, Calabar and others, ensuring agriculture becomes industry, not subsistence.” “Tinubu while acknowledging the challenges in the country’s economy, pointed out that yes, our nation still faces difficult realities: Inflation continues to businesses.
Energy supply is improving, but not where it needs to be. Security in certain parts of the country demands unwavering vigilance and action. But let me be clear: challenges do not define the Nigerian story.
Our response to them does.” In his own remarks, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu stated that this annual gathering is far more than an exhibition; it is a marketplace of ideas, a theatre of innovation, and a crucible for partnerships that will define the economic future of our State and our nation. Sanwo-Olu, who was represented at the occasion by the Commissioner for Trade investment, Mrs. Folashade Khasarat Ambrose, while speaking on the theme of the trade fair, “Connecting Business, Creating Value,” noted that beautifully captures what Lagos stands for: a dynamic hub where vision meets value, and enterprise meets opportunity.
He said: “As the pulse of Africa’s current and commercial future, Lagos is not just a city, it is a living economy. It is a microcosm of Africa’s entrepreneurial spirit, a place where hard work meets innovation, and where commerce thrives against all odds.”
