Governor Sanwo-Olu and NGX Group Lead Creative Economy Financing Drive at Lagos Fashion Week Closing Ceremony
At the closing of Lagos Fashion Week, held in conjunction with NGX Group’s “Closing Gong Ceremony,” Babajide Sanwo‑Olu, Governor of Lagos State, called attention to the tremendous potential of Nigeria’s creative economy and its access to capital-market financing as a pathway to sustainable growth.
Joining the governor were members of the Lagos State Executive Council, American singer and model Ciara (Ciara Wilson), and key industry stakeholders. The collaboration emphasised the intersection between creativity, enterprise and investment.
Key Highlights
Governor Sanwo-Olu highlighted Lagos’ ambition to become a major global hub for creativity and investment, noting the strategic importance of linking the creative sector, including fashion, film and music, with the capital market through institutions like NGX.
NGX Group Chairman Umaru Kwairanga said the event models how the capital market can support emerging economic sectors, including small and medium enterprises across the fashion value chain, by enabling access to sustainable financing.
NGX Group CEO Temi Popoola reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to linking innovation and creativity with capital, stressing the creative economy as one of Africa’s fastest-growing growth frontiers.
A central theme of the ceremony was sustainability: the importance of circular-economy practices and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards as key drivers of competitiveness and investment appeal in creative industries.
Style House Files, the organisers of Lagos Fashion Week, emphasised that the fashion sector should be recognised not only for its cultural output but also as a contributor to economic development, investment flows and social impact.
Why This Matters
The ceremony underscores a shifting paradigm: creative industries are increasingly seen not just as cultural or artistic endeavours, but as economic sectors deserving of formal investment, infrastructure and regulatory support. By aligning fashion and other creative sectors with capital-market mechanisms, Lagos hopes to catalyse growth, formalise sectors that have typically operated informally, and open new avenues of financing for designers, entrepreneurs and innovators.
Looking Ahead
The success of this initiative hinges on the ecosystem delivering: financing instruments must be accessible to creative entrepreneurs; policy and regulation must support, not stifle, innovation; and sustainability practices must be embedded to meet investor expectations. The coming period will test whether the creative sector’s promise can translate into measurable growth, jobs and value creation.
By blending creativity with capital, Lagos (and Nigeria) aims to position itself as a major global player in the creative economy.