Lagos will host more than 2,000 stakeholders and over 35 exhibiting companies at the West Africa Infrastructure Expo scheduled to take place next month in Victoria Island.
The event will bring together participants from Austria, China, Ghana, India and the United Arab Emirates to showcase solutions across key infrastructure sectors including digital systems, power, transportation, smart cities, waste management and water infrastructure.
Organisers say the exhibition aims to highlight the strategic importance of Nigeria’s infrastructure sector while fostering partnerships and investments that support the country’s development goals.
Speaking ahead of the event, Senior Vice President of dmg events, Josine Heijmans, noted that Nigeria plays a pivotal role in West Africa’s economic landscape, adding that the country’s infrastructure development has far-reaching regional impact.
According to her, the expo will also host the Nigeria Infrastructure Summit, a one-day leadership forum that will bring together senior government officials, regulators, development finance institutions, engineering firms, EPC contractors and private sector stakeholders responsible for delivering infrastructure projects across Nigeria and the broader West African region.
Heijmans explained that the summit will serve as a strategic platform for discussions on key issues including power system modernisation, integrated economic infrastructure, urban development, infrastructure financing, risk management and project delivery capacity.
The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, is expected to deliver a ministerial keynote outlining Nigeria’s infrastructure growth strategy for the next decade.
The President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Ali Rabiu, will also lead discussions on Nigeria’s infrastructure progress, challenges facing the sector and the role of engineering professionals in advancing national development.
The event will convene decision-makers across the infrastructure value chain, including regulators, engineering companies, consultants, technology providers and project managers.
The exhibition will feature companies showcasing solutions in six core areas: digital infrastructure, power infrastructure, smart city technologies, transport infrastructure, waste and environmental management, and water infrastructure.In another session, Dr Abdul Kamara, Director-General at the African Development Bank, alongside Zafira Magoro, Manager at the Transmission Company of Nigeria, will provide insights into Nigeria’s project financing landscape.
The discussion will examine how financiers, development finance institutions, public-private partnership specialists and policymakers can collaborate to drive infrastructure investments.
Other speakers expected at the summit include Olufemi Fayombo, Deputy Director for Roads and Infrastructure at the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority; Dr Abba Aliyu, Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency; Abimbola Akinajo, Managing Director of LAMATA; Dr Emeka Henry Inegbu, Executive Director of Operations at Family Homes Funds Limited; Kazeem Sanusi of Development Facilitation and Strategic Planning Africa; and Patrick Ogunleye of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.
Organisers say discussions will also address emerging industry topics such as Women in Infrastructure: Breaking Barriers and Building Skills, Digital Tools for Infrastructure Careers, Breaking into Housing Development: Insights from Practitioners, and Future Skills for Infrastructure Delivery.
The West Africa Infrastructure Expo is expected to provide a major platform for collaboration, innovation and policy dialogue as Nigeria seeks to accelerate infrastructure development across the country.
Written by Yemisi Dada