By Adeola Badru

High-level deal-making and supply chain realignments dominated the West Africa Industrialisation, Manufacturing and Trade (IMT) Summit 2026 held in Lagos, with stakeholders securing multi-billion naira industrial partnerships.

While official sessions focused on policy direction through ministerial dialogues and industry engagements, much of the summit’s impact was driven by side meetings where manufacturers, financiers, digital platforms, and logistics providers forged new business relationships.

The summit evolved beyond a traditional exhibition into a platform for industrial coordination, enabling participants to integrate value chains and explore opportunities to scale production and expand market access across West Africa.

Manufacturers engaged logistics firms, digital commerce platforms, and regional distributors in discussions aimed at strengthening intra-African trade. A key theme was the need for African industries to better connect and collaborate.

Group President of R28 Holdings, Adebisi Abidemi Adebutu, said the summit facilitated practical partnerships with local producers. “I have met manufacturers whose products can now be integrated into my supply chain, helping to reduce costs and operational stress,” he noted.

Financing discussions also took centre stage, with entrepreneurs presenting bankable projects to development finance institutions. Talks focused on long-term funding models, including blended finance structures to support industrial investments over 10 to 25 years.

Oluseye Seton, Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer at VendorCredit, said the summit provided direct access to key decision-makers. “It created an efficient environment to engage industrialists and present value propositions to a concentrated market,” he said.

Delegates from industrial zones across West Africa highlighted frameworks for boosting production capacity through coordinated policies, infrastructure development, and private sector participation.

Director-General of Benin’s Investment and Export Promotion Agency (APIEx), Éric Akouté, said the summit strengthened regional integration efforts by showcasing emerging industrial frameworks in the country.

The event culminated in a ministerial visit to a local manufacturing facility led by the Minister, Sen. John Owan Enoh, offering delegates firsthand insight into Nigeria’s growing industrial capabilities.

Stakeholders noted that such engagements reflect a broader shift in West Africa’s industrial landscape, especially under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), where collaboration and alignment among businesses are key to unlocking regional trade opportunities.

Participants concluded that the summit’s major achievement lies in the practical connections forged among industrialists, financiers, innovators, and policymakers, positioning it as both a policy forum and a marketplace for long-term industrial partnerships.