Governor and capital-market leaders champion “creativity meets capital” as Lagos seeks to become Africa’s creative and investment hub
Babajide Sanwo‑Olu, Governor of Lagos State, has issued a clarion call for stronger synergies between the creative industries and the capital market, urging investors to back fashion, film, music and other creative value chains. His remarks came as he joined the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group) for a closing gong ceremony at the just-concluded Lagos Fashion Week 2025. 
At the event, Governor Sanwo-Olu emphasised that access to long-term financing via the capital market is vital for scaling creative enterprises. He said Lagos — already the nation’s commercial nerve-centre — is uniquely positioned to lead Africa’s creative expansion if investment flows into the right areas. 
He stated:
“Lagos stands at the forefront of Africa’s creative renaissance, a city where innovation, culture and enterprise intersect. Our ambition is to position Lagos as a global hub for creativity and investment.” 
The NGX Group Chairman, Umaru Kwairanga, added that the capital market has a clear role to play in transforming ideas into value and helping creative-sector SMEs become industry leaders.  Meanwhile, NGX CEO Temi Popoola reaffirmed that the creative economy is among the most dynamic growth fronts in Africa — and that linking creativity with capital via transparent market mechanisms can provide the foundation for sustainable expansion. 
The ceremony, attended by prominent fashion and entertainment personalities including Ciara Wilson, reinforced the message that fashion, design and the broader creative industries are no longer peripheral—they are central to economic diversification. For Lagos, that means not only generating jobs and national branding, but also creating an investment-ready ecosystem. 
Governor Sanwo-Olu also announced his government’s intention to deepen such collaborations by building infrastructure and policy support to ensure creative sectors can tap into capital-market channels. He urged policy makers, investors and creatives to work together so that Lagos does not simply participate in the global creative economy—but leads it. 
With Nigeria’s broader target of substantially scaling its creative economy in sight, this event signals Lagos’s ambition to be the launchpad where creativity meets capital, and where local ingenuity becomes globally competitive.
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