Lagos, Nigeria’s bustling commercial capital, is looking to further establish its position as Africa’s leading hub for commerce, creativity, and entertainment with the maiden Lagos Shopping Festival.
The state is dotting all i’s and crossing all t’s to ensure a smooth hosting of the shopping festival billed to run from December 23 to 25, 2024.
The Lagos Shopping Festival, tagged Africa’s biggest 72-hour non-stop shopping and entertainment event, will be hosted at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena on Lagos Island and will see the arena transformed into a dynamic space for shopping, live performances by top artistes, non-stop rave parties, and family-friendly attractions. There will be discounted shopping opportunities, thus providing affordability for shoppers, supporting local businesses and ensuring inclusivity for all.
On Tuesday, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, officially unveiled the symbol for the shopping festival at a brief ceremony at Lagos House, Ikeja, during a courtesy visit to his office by the organisers and corporate sponsors of the festival.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Idris Aregbe, narrated how by sheer happenstance the ministry had used a fair earlier organized in the month of April in conjunction with another private entity as a proof of concept to test the waters ahead of the bigger Lagos Shopping Festival.
Aregbe told the gathering comprising representatives of Zenith Bank Plc, Tolaram Group and Guinness Nigeria Plc how the sales recorded in a period of three days surpassed the N250 million sales threshold the organisers had never crossed.
“This is the power of partnership when the government collaborates with private entities. The result is always different,” Aregbe said.
Introducing the concept of the Lagos Shopping Festival (LSF), the festival’s Director of Organisation and Logistics, Damilola Pedro, reminded Governor Sanwo-Olu how the Chain Reactions Africa team first did a conceptual presentation to him on a Saturday evening during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
“Mr. Governor, this project is your baby. It is one of the legacies you will be giving to Lagos. When we first presented the concept to you four years ago, we wanted to have it for seven days non-stop. But you counselled us to run the maiden edition over a period of three days first. We have been planning and refining the concept. Now is the time for us to join the league of other global cities such as Istanbul and Dubai,” Pedro said.
On his part, Sanwo-Olu thanked Chain Reactions Africa for incubating the idea and never giving up despite the many hurdles on the way. He described the Lagos Shopping Festival as more than an event, “a convergence of commerce and entertainment”.
“The movers of this great idea first approached me in 2020 during the Covid-19 like Damilola Pedro said. I was blown away when they made their first presentation to me. Then the third wave of Covid hit us again. But since then, they have been relentless,” Sanwo-Olu said.
“The Lagos Shopping Festival is an idea whose time has come. This December, we will be joining the league of other global cities such as Istanbul and Dubai to stage our own shopping festival.
“This festival will not only support local businesses and create opportunities but will also showcase the vibrant spirit of Lagos, making our state a beacon for tourism, commerce and entertainment in Africa,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu thanked the management of Chain Reaction Africa, Zenith Bank Plc, Tolaram Africa Group, and Guinness Nigeria Plc for supporting the idea of a Lagos Shopping Festival that is poised to become a value addition on the state’s tourism calendar and the overall efforts to grow the state’s GDP.
He urged Lagosians, visitors, and businesses to participate in the Lagos Shopping Festival, describing it as “a transformative event that will redefine December in Lagos this year and many years to come, offering something for everyone and bringing families, friends, Nigerians in Diaspora and Lagosians together in celebration”.
Speaking on the sidelines of the unveiling ceremony, CEO Guinness Nigeria Plc, Girish Sharma, expressed enthusiasm for the initiative.
“Lagos is the commercial heartbeat of Nigeria and Africa’s entertainment capital, and the Lagos Shopping Festival captures its essence. We see opportunities in this initiative because it is a creative fusion of commerce and entertainment. This partnership reflects our dedication to fostering economic opportunities and supporting the nation’s vibrant entertainment industry,” Sharma said.
The Lagos Shopping Festival is a flagship initiative supported by the Lagos State Government designed to promote economic and entertainment activities and consolidate the city’s positioning as a premium destination for business and leisure.
