The Invest Lagos 3.0 Summit went beyond theoretical discussions. Real investment commitments were made. Partnerships were formed. Memoranda of Understanding were signed. The ambition in the room was visible, and the energy was genuine. By every measure that the organisers set for themselves, the summit delivered.
We watched closely. I want to say something that was not said loudly enough in any of the sessions at the summit.
The Lagos State Government targeted $2.5 billion in high-impact deals, spanning sustainable development, infrastructure financing, technology, energy, manufacturing, tourism, and urban development. Governors pitched. Investors listened. Pens moved across paper. The cameras captured the handshakes.
There is a question I did not hear asked, not once, not in any session, not in any corridor conversation that filtered back to me. It is the only question that will determine whether those signed documents become functioning enterprises or footnotes in a future report on deals that never fully materialised.
When the foreign capital arrives, who will manage the manufacturing plants in Imota? Who will lead the technology teams at the Lagos Free Zone? Who will build the talent pipelines that turn a signed MoU into a functioning, profitable, globally competitive enterprise? Where are the structural engineers, the middle managers, the process specialists, the operations leaders, and the technical workforce that every business at scale desperately and immediately needs the moment ground is broken?
