2025 LITF: Lagos Promises MSMEs Continued visibility, capacity building, market access

The Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its unwavering dedication to continue to support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises across the state through visibility, capacity building, and market access.
Governor of Lagos, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, made the pledge on Sunday in Lagos at the closing ceremony of the 2025 Lagos International Trade Fair (LITF).
The event, organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), had its theme as: “Connecting Business, Creating Value” is in its 39th edition.
Sanwo-Olu noted that investors and businesses were choosing Lagos because of its ecosystem of scale, connectivity, and dynamism.
Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, stressed that scale alone was not enough.
He said that it had to be matched with enabling infrastructure, smart policy, digital readiness, and a business environment where value was both created and sustained.
He added that the state, together with the LCCI, was positioning Lagos as the preferred destination for enterprise and innovation in Africa.
He explained that they had made remarkable progress across infrastructure, policy, and digital transformation, but pointed out that progress was never measured only in infrastructure, policies, or statistics, as its true measure lies in its impact on human lives.
According to him, when businesses connect and value is created, the benefits ripple outward, creating jobs in manufacturing, data centres, and agro-industrial hubs, and ensuring that growth translates into shared prosperity for all.
Sanwo-Olu also pledged that the government would intensify support for MSMEs, describing them as the backbone of the economy.
He said the state’s collaboration with the LCCI remained crucial as they designed programmes to empower small businesses, strengthen export readiness, and connect Lagos-based enterprises to regional and global markets.
Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, said every entrepreneur, regardless of scale, deserved an enabling environment to thrive and contribute meaningfully to the economic prosperity of the state.
She said the state through strategic investments in infrastructure, institutional reforms, and continuous engagement with the private sector was building a Lagos that worked for business.
She added that the state would continue to foster innovation, competitiveness, and sustainability.
“As a government, we remain steadfast in our commitment to making Lagos the preferred destination for commerce and enterprise.
“This fair has once again demonstrated the power of connection; connection between producers and consumers, investors and innovators, government and private sector, local entrepreneurs and global brands.
“Every handshake, every conversation, every business card exchanged here is a building block toward the future we are creating, a future of prosperity that leaves no one behind,” she said.
The commissioner urged businesses to continue to connect, collaborate, and create value, saying “in Lagos, we do not just trade goods; we trade ideas, build futures, and transform lives.
“Together, let us continue to make Lagos not just a place of commerce, but a symbol of progress, innovation, and endless opportunity,” she said.
Mr Gabriel Idahosa, President, LCCI, urged governments at all levels to continue to address the issues of creating an enabling environment in the country.
Idahosa said focus should be on infrastructure, security, and implementing the right policies to address the key drivers of high inflation.
This, he said, was needed to fully harness the vast enterprising resources of domestic and foreign investors for the diversification of our economy and the welfare of our people.
He pledged the commitment of the Organised Private Sector to stand solidly behind the state in its quest to actualise its innovative initiatives on all fronts.