Badagry Is strategically Position For AfCFTA Gateway Growth – LASG
Badagry’s role as a strategic gateway for regional and continental trade took centre stage at the opening of the BACCIMA Trade Fair 2026, held at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex on Badagry Expressway.
The 10-day event opened with calls for deeper regional trade, increased investment, and stronger strategic partnerships across Nigeria, West Africa and the African continent.
Delivering remarks for the Honourable Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Folashade Bada Ambrose-Medebem, Deputy Director, Commercial Segun Alugba highlighted the Lagos State Government’s deliberate push to leverage Badagry’s border location to drive trade facilitation and regional integration.
He said the fair’s theme, “Trading Without Borders: Empowering Business for Regional and Global Markets,” mirrors Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu’s agenda for infrastructure development and enterprise growth that positions Lagos to fully harness opportunities under ECOWAS and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Mrs. Ambrose-Medebem stressed that Badagry’s proximity to neighbouring West African markets gives Lagos a unique advantage in connecting Nigeria to a combined market of over 1.4 billion people under AfCFTA.
She noted that investments in transport links, border infrastructure, and trade services around Badagry will amplify the State’s ability to speed goods movement, reduce transaction costs, and attract cross-border investors and exporters.
The Commissioner praised BACCIMA’s consistency in convening business players and said trade fairs such as this create vital access points for SMEs and exporters to scale into regional and global markets. She reaffirmed the Lagos State Government’s commitment to supporting businesses through policy, infrastructure and market linkages, and urged exhibitors to seize the platform to showcase products, forge partnerships, and build networks that transcend national borders.
In his welcome address, BACCIMA President Alhaji Yahaya Oladiran Idris described the fair as an essential meeting point for businesses, investors, manufacturers, exporters, policymakers, financial institutions and development partners to collaborate on unlocking new opportunities—particularly those emerging from enhanced connectivity via Badagry.