Lagos Free Zone to India: "Thanks for Selling Us Everything, Now Please Come and Make It Here"

Gist time. Lagos Free Zone has sent a very polite message to Indian investors, and it basically says: "We love that you sell to us, but have you considered building a factory?"

Fair question. Nigeria is the most loyal customer on earth. Tractors, tablets, toothpaste, tyres: if it exists, we've ordered it, and we should honestly get a loyalty card by now.

The zone, owned by the Tolaram Group and sitting next to the Lekki deep-sea port, is looking for Indian investment in pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, and chemicals. Its wish list also covers leather, footwear, engineering and automobiles. In other words, stop shipping things in, start making them here.

And this isn't a cold DM. Over 130 Indian companies have reportedly invested about $30 billion in Nigeria over the last 20 years, and Tata already assembles commercial vehicles inside the zone. They're already in the group chat. Now the zone wants them to stop lurking and start building.

The logic is simple. Manufacture in Nigeria, sell to 200-plus million Nigerians, then sell across the continent too. Trading is the easy life: buy, ship, add margin, relax. Manufacturing is the serious one: land, machines, workers, patience, and a very close relationship with electricity.

Ah, electricity. Every investor will ask the sensitive question: "And the power supply?" And we will smile and say, "It's coming," the way we answer every question about everything. To be fair, the zone says it is working on renewable energy and digital infrastructure, so maybe, just maybe, the answer will one day be "it's here."

But think about the dream: a shelf at your local supermarket with a proudly "Made in Nigeria" sticker on something that isn't garri. We'd stop hiding the label and start posting it.

So, Indian investors, the market is here, the port is here, and the customers are loyal to a fault. Bring your machines, your patience, and a very good generator.

Welcome to Lekki. We've been waiting, and we've been ordering.