The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has pledged to drive investments into the Lagos Free Zone (LFZ). The President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Asiwaju, Dr. Michael Olawale-Cole (CON), made this pledge during a visit by LCCI executive members to Lagos Free Zone in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos. During the visit, Olawole-Cole commended the management of the Lagos Free Zone and the promoters – Tolaram, for the sustainable business model, which has earned it a strong social licence and reputation within the business community in Nigeria and globally. He said: “LCCI is Nigeria’s foremost business organisation, operating for over 130 years and with more than 60 per cent of Nigeria’s commercial sector as members. Today, after our visit, we are very impressed with what we have seen. And LCCI, being the voice of the organised private sector, would extend our support in driving investments into the Zone.”

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Lagos Free Zone, Dinesh Rathi, described the visit as symbolic and a step in the right direction in gaining trust and buy-in from Nigeria’s booming corporate commercial sector. He said: “The Lagos Free Zone is rightly positioned to service the needs of Nigerian indigenous businesses as well as international businesses who are members of the organisation. Apart from the fact that the Zone offers unmatched advantages for corporate sector investors, it is its integration with the Lekki Deep Sea Port that is a unique differentiator. The Zone is well positioned to be the foremost investment destination for manufacturing and logistics sectors today.”

Dinesh further highlighted that Lekki Port, a project of deep relevance to the growth of the Sub-Saharan African economy, is situated within Lagos Free Zone. Once it becomes fully operational by the last quarter of 2022, it would fully activate the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by facilitating regional distribution and transshipment. Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr. Chinyere Almona, said LCCI is open to collaboration at all levels with the management of Lagos Free Zone. She further stated that LCCI would inform and encourage its members to seize the opportunities in the zone while also engaging the government at both state and Federal levels to deliver more complementary infrastructure for the zone.