Lagos Free Zone seeks Indian manufacturing investments

The Lagos Free Zone has urged Indian businesses to shift from trading with Nigeria to manufacturing in the country, with a focus on local production and export-oriented value chains serving Nigeria, Africa and global markets.

The call was made by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Lagos Free Zone, Adesuwa Ladoja, at the Nigeria-India Export Summit, themed “Driving Sustainable Export Growth through Trade, Investment and Market Access between Nigeria and India,” held in Lagos recently.

Ladoja, according to a statement on Sunday, said the longstanding relationship between Nigeria and India provided a strong foundation for a new phase of economic cooperation, with investment, manufacturing and value addition playing a greater role in future trade.

She noted that while energy would remain an important part of the relationship, sustainable growth would require both countries to look beyond commodity exchange and build businesses that create products and value locally.

“For many businesses, the most important step is to move from selling in Nigeria to making in Nigeria. That shift is already underway, and this is where the next wave of value will come from. Investing here, building a strong local presence, and developing a supply chain that manages inputs and outputs locally is critical to sustainable success,” she said.

• Argentina offers citizenship to foreigners investing $350,000
• Igbo traders must move beyond Chinese competition – Otti
• Alitheia Capital backs financing for women-led businesses

She explained that Nigeria’s market size, natural resources and access to the wider African market, combined with India’s manufacturing and technological capabilities, presented opportunities to develop competitive production and export value chains.

She added that Lagos Free Zone provides an integrated platform with the infrastructure and connectivity to support manufacturing, trade and exports, enabling businesses to create competitive products while retaining more value within Nigeria.

“Our message to Indian companies is simple: make in Nigeria, for Nigeria, for West Africa, and for the world, including the US and European markets. At Lagos Free Zone, we are ready to help turn that opportunity into factories, jobs, and exports. We believe the future of Nigeria-India trade should be measured not only by how much we exchange, but by how much value we create together,” she added.

In his welcome address, the Host of the Nigeria-India Export Summit, Puneet Arora, said the summit provided an opportunity to strengthen commercial ties between Nigeria and India and explore opportunities in trade, infrastructure, agriculture, market access and investment.

He noted that sustainable export growth would depend on stronger supply chains, investment and lasting commercial relationships between businesses in both markets.