Policymakers, manufacturers, and investors from across the region will converge in Lagos next month for the inaugural West Africa Industrialisation, Manufacturing & Trade Summit and Exhibition (West Africa IMT 2026), a three-day forum aimed at accelerating the sub-region’s push toward large-scale industrial growth.
Scheduled for March 3 to 5 at the Landmark Centre, the event is endorsed by Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and organised by dmg Nigeria events. Organisers describe it as a strategic platform to align government policy, private sector execution, and long-term financing required to transform West Africa into a globally competitive industrial hub.
The summit comes at a time when governments across the region are placing industrial development at the centre of economic strategy, seeking to convert abundant natural resources and a young population into jobs, manufacturing output, and export strength.
Recent trade figures highlight the urgency. Data from the Nigeria Customs Service show Nigeria’s exports to African markets climbed 14 percent to ₦4.82 trillion, with more than 60% going to West African neighbours. In Ghana, authorities have reported early productivity gains in pilot industrial zones under the country’s 24-hour economy policy, particularly in the Tema light-manufacturing corridor.
Organisers say momentum like this demonstrates both opportunity and pressure: stronger trade flows must now translate into deeper productive capacity.
John Owan Enoh, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, said the gathering aligns with national and regional priorities, including implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
“Industrial growth is not just an economic imperative; it is the foundation for job creation, skills development and sustainable prosperity,” he said.
A cross-section of regional and international figures is expected to participate. The speaker lineup includes ministers from Nigeria, Benin, and Senegal, as well as senior executives from manufacturing, infrastructure, finance, and trade institutions.
Among them are Shadiya Alimatou Assouman, Benin’s Minister of Industry and Trade; Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, Benin’s Foreign Affairs Minister; Cheikh Niane, Senegal’s Vice Minister of Energy, Petroleum and Mines; and Ufuoma Adasen, Vice President for Heavy Industries, Telecoms and Technology at the Africa Finance Corporation.
Business leaders such as Dorman Long Engineering chairman Timi Austen-Peters, Coleman Wires and Cables chief executive George Onafowokan, Matta CEO Mudiaga Mowoe, and Norfund’s West Africa regional director Naana Winful Fynn are also billed to speak.
Sessions will examine how to unlock manufacturing scale, strengthen supply chains, and improve trade logistics, while also addressing infrastructure gaps and financing frameworks needed to support value-added production.
By bringing together public- and private-sector actors in one venue, organisers say the objective is practical: to move from declarations of intent to bankable projects and coordinated execution.
As West Africa seeks a firmer foothold in global value chains, the conversations in Lagos are expected to test how quickly ambition can be converted into industrial reality.
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