26th January 2026.
West Africa’s expanding intra-African trade and renewed emphasis on industrial development are expected to feature prominently at the West Africa Industrialisation, Manufacturing & Trade Summit and Exhibition (West Africa IMT 2026), scheduled to take place in Lagos from March 3 to 5. The event comes against a backdrop of growing regional trade integration that is beginning to influence the sub-region’s industrial landscape.
Recent figures from the Nigeria Customs Service indicate a 14 per cent increase in Nigeria’s exports to African markets, reaching N4.82 trillion, with West Africa accounting for over 60 per cent of the total. In Ghana, early outcomes from the government’s 24-hour economy initiative have been observed in pilot industrial zones, including increased output and night-shift employment in the Tema light-manufacturing corridor. These developments suggest emerging opportunities alongside rising pressure to translate trade growth into sustainable industrial capacity and employment.
The summit, endorsed by Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and organised by dmg Nigeria events, is framed as a forum to examine how policy coordination and investment can support manufacturing expansion under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Nigerian Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, John Enoh, has reiterated the centrality of industrialisation to economic development, highlighting its role in job creation, skills development and regional competitiveness.
Expected to attract policymakers, manufacturers, investors and infrastructure stakeholders, the three-day meeting will focus on issues such as industrial capacity expansion, trade facilitation, infrastructure delivery and long-term financing for value-added production. Organisers have indicated that discussions will prioritise implementation-oriented approaches to address persistent challenges, including infrastructure deficits, logistics constraints, tariff complexities and global competition for manufacturing investment.
As AfCFTA implementation progresses and regional trade gathers momentum, the summit is positioned as a test of West Africa’s ability to move from policy ambition toward concrete industrial outcomes at a critical point in the region’s economic transformation.