Nigeria used the platform of the 2025 USAfrica Business Week (UBW2025), held alongside the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York, to spotlight its free trade zones as a catalyst for industrial growth and global partnerships.
At a side session themed “Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria: A New Era of Economic Opportunities,” the Managing Director of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), Dr. Olufemi Ogunyemi, urged American investors to leverage the country’s expanding network of free zones as practical entry points into Africa’s largest economy.
“Free zones are designed as practical business enclaves that provide industrial upgrading and attract regionally scalable investments,” Ogunyemi said, stressing that projects ranging from factory shells for MSMEs to large-scale infrastructure partnerships could accelerate job creation, deepen local procurement, and strengthen exports.
He invited investors to undertake site visits to hubs such as the Lagos Free Zone, Lekki Free Zone, and Abuja Industrial Park Free Zone, where critical infrastructure and anchor tenants are already operational.
The pitch came as part of Nigeria’s wider participation in UBW2025 — a platform convening over 1,000 senior government, business, and diaspora leaders to advance U.S.-Africa trade and investment ties. Nigeria’s high-level delegation included state governors, federal ministers, and private sector leaders, underscoring the country’s intent to position itself as a central driver of Africa’s investment future.
Founder of UBW, Gbenga Omotayo, described the gathering as a reinforcement of Nigeria’s role in shaping Africa’s economic trajectory, citing opportunities across agribusiness, solid minerals, infrastructure, and diaspora capital.
By placing free trade zones at the heart of its investment pitch, Nigeria is signaling a strategy that combines policy innovation with global partnerships to unlock industrial competitiveness.
