‘Lagos shopping festival will create jobs, drive commerce’
The maiden Lagos Shopping Festival, scheduled to hold from December 23 to 25 will create employment opportunities and drive commercial activities in the state, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, at the unveiling of the festival symbol on Tuesday, explained that the festival will drive commerce by supporting local businesses, attracting global brands, and creating direct and indirect employment opportunities through vendor participation, logistics, event and entertainment management.
The festival is being organised by the government through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts, in partnership with Tolaram Africa Group, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, and Chain Reactions Africa.
Sanwo-Olu said: “We are a city of audacious people who dream big and think big. By this December, the City of Dubai will be holding the 30th edition of its annual Dubai Shopping Festival. But we are just starting now, and we believe it is never too late.
“Through our Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts, in the month of April, we have had the proof of concept. We had a trade fair where sales in excess of N5 billion were recorded by just 245 vendors in just three days. So, we have tested the concept, and we know it can only get bigger.
“I am excited that come this December, the City of Lagos will be joining the league of other global cities such as Istanbul and Dubai with their own dedicated shopping festivals. This is part of our broader strategy to continue to market Lagos as a premium destination for business and leisure.
“For us, this festival is not just about enjoyment; it is an economic tool to achieve a number of economic objectives. It will drive commerce by supporting local businesses and attracting global brands. It will also create direct and indirect employment opportunities through vendor participation, logistics, event and entertainment management.
“The festival will attract the Diaspora community to Lagos this December because Lagos is safe. It will also attract local and international tourists to Lagos and position Destination Lagos among her peers with their own shopping festivals.”
The governor also hailed Tolaram Africa Group, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, and Chain Reactions Africa ‘for heeding the call, seeing our big picture, and supporting the maiden Lagos Shopping Festival’.
Festival Director (Organisation and Logistics) Ms. Damilola Pedro, who described Governor Sanwo-Olu as the Lead Strategist and Biggest Sales Person for Lagos, said the festival will promote trade and commerce.
“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 for just three days. 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.
“I am Lagosian, and I always enjoy myself in December every time in Lagos, and that is what the Lagos Shopping Festival means to us. We believe in Mr. Governor for his vision. He has always been the biggest Salesperson for Lagos, and we are working continuously to make sure this event also leads us towards positive values and changing the perception of who we are as Lagosians and what Lagos means to the rest of the world.
“The Lagos Shopping Festival will happen from December 23 to 25 at the Onikan Stadium. We are inviting everyone to come and have fun. We will be bringing small-scale businesses through our partnership with several agencies within the government for SMEs and businesses around and outside Lagos to come sell their products so people can buy at discounted rates even as we all have fun this December and journey towards the rest of next year…”
Special Adviser to the governor on Tourism, Culture and Arts Idris Aregbe recalled that the ministry used a fair organised in April to test the waters ahead of the Lagos Shopping Festival, which is bigger in scope and scale.
According to Argebe, the sales recorded in three days surpassed the N250 million sales threshold the organisers had never crossed.
