By Kayode Olopade
Lagos State Government has received a delegation from the Republic of Netherlands, led by the Consul General, Lagos, Michael Deelen, on a courtesy visit aimed at establishing functional relationship with the Invest International of Netherlands ahead of the forthcoming Invest in Lagos Summit 3.0.
The State Government also received the report on Coastal Protection and Presentation of Feasibility Studies by CDR International, a Dutch Coastal, River and Port Engineering and Consultancy Firm.
Welcoming the delegation to her office, the Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, described the summit, being organised in partnership with the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, CWEIC, and scheduled to hold from 8th to 9th July, 2026 at Eko Hotel and Suites, as a deliberate programme to project Lagos as the investment gateway to Africa, while she reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to building strategic partnerships that will boost investment inflows and drive sustainable economic growth.
Her words: “Lagos, as the nation’s economic hub, remains open to collaborations that encourage innovation, expand trade, and diversify the economy. The Invest in Lagos Summit 3.0 will serve as a key platform for stakeholder engagement, investor attraction, and showcasing the state’s economic potential.
“To underscore this, the State Government has shown great commitment towards creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. This accounted for Lagos emergence at the top of ease of doing business ranking released last year by the Nigerian government. We take partnerships such as this as crucial in positioning Lagos as a preferred investment destination in Africa.”
The Commissioner described the coming of Invest International as a beginning of great partnership across mutually identical areas of potential investments, while assuring the delegation of the state’s readiness to engage them ahead with the hope of signing a memorandum of understanding at the summit. She also mentioned that waterfront infrastructure financing would feature as part of the highlights of the event.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Hon. Dayo Bush-Alebiosu, highlighted the importance of the state’s waterfront assets in driving investment and urban development. He pointed to various ongoing infrastructure projects aimed at unlocking opportunities across coastal and inland waterways.
“The State Government, through our Ministry, already has a working relationship with the Republic of Netherlands, noting that collaboration with the visiting delegation, would further strengthen existing relationship while opening new prospects in waterfront development, tourism, and real estate investment.
“I am particularly excited to receive the coastal protection and presentation of feasibility studies report from ADR and our Ministry would speedily synthesise and prepare an executive summary for presentation to Mr. Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who is eagerly awaiting the report for consideration of strategies to mitigate flooding and erosion along the state’s coastal communities,: he said.
The leader of the delegation and Consul General, the Republic of Netherlands, Lagos, Michael Deelen, stated that the visit was to introduce and seek the partnership of the state with Invest International, a Dutch agency, and support the presentation of the report on coastal protection and feasibility studies of the Lagos coastline.
‘The Netherlands is always proud to associate with Lagos State in realising its various developmental strides. Invest International is an impact investor that offers various financing windows for projects and other initiatives, and these are available for the state to leverage upon,” he said.
Mr. Deelen alluded to the comprehensive report submitted by ADR and urged stakeholders to accelerate action towards implementation in order to avoid further deterioration of the affected coastal communities.
Regional Head, Southern Africa and Latin America, Invest International, Fenna Houkamp, affirmed strong alignment in both the state’s potential investment focus and the priority areas of her organisation covering agric-food, health, manufacturing, water and infrastructure, with the last two taking up 50 percent of their total funding.
“Invest International supports Dutch businesses and partner governments, with financing solutions for projects that are impactful and sustainable in foreign markets. We offer tailor made financing that incorporates grants of up to 30 percent and provide loans, allowing us to facilitate up to one hundred percent financing opportunity for identified projects or programmes,” she said.
Chairman, ADR, Dirk Heijboer, while presenting the report outlined the identified challenges confronting the coastal communities and commended the state for rising to tackle it, as he assured of the organisation’s readiness to work with the state to implement the report.
Invest in Lagos Summit 3.0 is expected to bring together policymakers, investors, business leaders, and development partners to explore opportunities across key sectors. It will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, deal rooms, exhibitions, networking sessions and strategic engagements designed to strengthen both bilateral and multilateral investment partnerships. The visit ended with both parties reaffirming their commitment to sustained collaboration, setting the stage for a successful and impactful summit.
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