…Sanwo-Olu, CWEIC chief sign MoU on summit
In June, Lagos State will 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 fewer than 600 investors, including development finance institutions, from across the Commonwealth countries are expected to attend the two-day summit billed to be held 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.
