Commonwealth platform opens Nigeria opportunities to global investors

The Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) is positioning Nigeria as a key destination for global capital by using its international platform to connect the country with investors, governments, and businesses across the Commonwealth and beyond.

As part of this effort, Samantha Cohen, Council’s chief executive officer, visited Nigeria to promote trade and investment opportunities, strengthen partnerships with state governments, and advance plans for a major international trade event scheduled to hold in Lagos in June 2026.
Cohen said the initiative is aimed at bringing large delegations of investors from across Commonwealth countries to Nigeria, particularly Lagos, which she described as one of Africa’s most dynamic economic centres.

According to her, the event will also coincide with plans to launch an International Financial Centre in Lagos, a development expected to further elevate the state’s position as a global investment and financial hub.

Cohen said: “I am here to meet with the governor of Lagos State and the Commissioner of Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment and conclude our plans towards putting on a major trade event that will take place between June 09 -10, 2026, which I hope also will bring in the launch of the International Financial Centre that is going to be launched here as well. So that will greatly position the Lagos economy. I think Lagos’ economy is the fourth largest in Africa. That will give Lagos state a great international platform because we will be bringing large delegations of investors from across other countries in the Commonwealth. So that’s what we’re working on.

There’s also a state visit for the President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to the United Kingdom, as you probably know, March 14, and 15, 2026. So we are helping to feed into that event as well and to bring Lagos state to the table because Lagos is also one of our Strategic Partners.”

She also mentioned that Nigeria is a vibrant hub and has about 25 members called Strategic Partners. She also co-hosted the Nigeria International Advisory Council meeting with the Nigeria Chairman, Olasupo Shasore SAN. She also visited some businesses that were invited to join as strategic partners.

Cohen also said that the CWEIC, through its network, is facilitating the establishment of manufacturing firms in Nigeria.

She said: “I think that manufacturing is the key to unlocking economic prosperity, and creating more manufacturing facilities on the continent as a whole, and in Nigeria, is really important because the cost of living for local people becomes so much more expensive when you have to manufacture offshore.

“One of our Strategic Partners is called Russel Smith Group, they are pioneering additive manufacturing in Nigeria. They are also building one of the biggest factories in the world in additive manufacturing in Lagos.

“It is going to be transformative for Lagos.

“They are partnering with another company, an Australian tech company, which is a fantastic example of Commonwealth collaboration as well.

“We can say to them, this market is growing very quickly, and there are manufacturing opportunities.”

She explained that the reason additive manufacturing can work so well in Nigeria is that you have all the raw materials.

“So this Russel Smith Group is manufacturing through 3D printing using powdered metal.

“So you have all the raw materials here.

“You can create 3D parts for cars, for defence, for farming equipment, for mining equipment.

“And that is happening here in Lagos. And things that you can pilot in Lagos can then be duplicated and modelled in other parts of the country, in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.”

Cohen identified the CWEIC’s role in enabling Nigeria to realise its $1 trillion economy aspiration by 2030 is to provide its platforms to educate investors about the opportunities in Nigeria.

“So we are having a big conference in London, in the City of London, in the Mansion House between April 20 -21, 2026, which is the Commonwealth Trade Investment Summit, and the government of Lagos State, we hope, will be attending to promote Lagos State.

“That’s a big international audience. And we are providing opportunities for your leaders to tell the Lagos story, to tell everybody about what’s happening here, the dynamism, the innovation, the opportunities.

“So we are providing that platform. And we’re also providing partners across the Commonwealth.”

She added, “The huge advantage we bring is a global network at the highest level, because we have members who are businesses, and we also have governments that are members. So we are connecting at the highest level, which means business can be done more quickly.”

She pointed out that the CWEIC’s relationship with the Enugu State Government is thriving.

“We are working on a number of projects with them. So, we will also look at promoting the values of Enugu State and helping them to position the Enugu economy and to educate investors about what they are doing.

“Because I think people don’t necessarily have all the information, and then once they discover what’s going on here, there’s a real energy and excitement,” she said.

Cohen also said that the CWEIC is promoting the growth of Nigerian SMEs by linking them with businesses within the council’s network.

She also said that the CWEIC is bringing trade missions to Nigeria so that people can learn about the market and find the right local partner.

“We have a law firm as Strategic Partners; we give them legal frameworks to work within. So, of course, there are risks, but we create structures that enable people to de-risk their investments and to build relationships.

“I mean, good investment is really about building relationships. And we’ve been in the market for a very long time and so we have the opportunity to have these long-term relationships. So we trust people, we know who to work with, we know what to avoid.”

She observed that there is a completely new geopolitical landscape in which Nigeria is front and center of Africa’s big economic shift.

She said: “Africa is booming and Nigeria is front and centre of the big economic shift.

“And I think Lagos, being the financial centre of Nigeria, is very much in focus.

“So my strategy really is we are building CWEIC because the demand is increasing.

“We have new interest from non-Commonwealth countries in the Commonwealth as a trading block.

“So we have interest from the Gulf states, which we haven’t really seen before, who want to invest in places like Nigeria because they see the potential and the growth.

“I mean, the population is exploding. People are talking about Lagos. They are talking about Nigeria in all the financial centres of the world.

“Everybody can see the potential and the opportunity. And the next generation will really benefit if we can organise ourselves well.”

She added that the population growth in Nigeria means that it.is a huge market, and countries are looking for new markets of scale because of the geopolitical shift.”