Lagos International Trade Fair Runs 6 to 15 November

EXPATS & NOMADS · LAGOS

The Lagos International Trade Fair 2026 runs from Friday 6 to Sunday 15 November at Tafawa Balewa Square on Lagos Island. The 40th edition targets more than 1,000 exhibitors, and the organiser has announced free entry.

The Lagos International Trade Fair 2026 opens on Friday 6 November at Tafawa Balewa Square, the Lagos Island venue where the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry stages the fair. It is the 40th edition, and it runs for ten days until Sunday 15 November.

For US readers the fair is a ten-day chance to meet Nigerian suppliers, buyers and state agencies in one place, with a Japanese pavilion expected alongside them. The organiser says entry is free, although foreign visitors still need a visa and a registration step.

What the Fair Is and Who Runs It

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, known as LCCI, organises the fair at Tafawa Balewa Square in Onikan. The chamber’s own site gives the dates as 6 to 15 November 2026 and carries the slogan “Trade, Grow, Connect, Exhibit at the Largest Trade Fair in Africa”.

The Guardian Nigeria wrote on 30 September that the fair enters its 40th edition, with LCCI repositioning it to win bulk merchandise deals. The aim is more business-to-business and business-to-government transactions rather than a general shopping fair.

Layo Bakare-Okeowo, LCCI vice-president and chair of its Trade Promotion Board, said the chamber had been “reaching out to bulk buyers” to meet exhibitors. She called the 40th edition “a special one indeed” at a press conference held in Lagos on 24 September.

Dates, Hours and the Opening Ceremony

The fair opens on Friday 6 November and closes on Sunday 15 November, so it covers two full weekends. The organiser’s site states that the dates remain 6 to 15 November 2026.

An Eventbrite listing under the chamber’s name starts the fair at 8 a.m. on Friday 6 November and ends it at 10 p.m. on Sunday 15 November, Lagos time. The organiser’s own site does not publish daily opening hours.

The Entertainment Village, a music and leisure area inside the fair, runs from Saturday 7 to Saturday 14 November, The Real Media reported. That is one day shorter at each end than the main fair.

LCCI has invited President Bola Tinubu to declare the fair open, and Tribune Online reported on 5 October that he is expected to flag it off on 6 November. Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is expected to declare it closed, and no source reviewed says the President has confirmed.

Free Entry and How to Register

At the 24 September press conference LCCI said entry would be free for exhibitors and visitors throughout the ten days. The Real Media, a Nigerian news site, carried the announcement.

For comparison, LCCI also offered free entry to all visitors in 2024, when the fair ran from 1 to 10 November. It then aimed for one million visitors against a usual 350,000, MSME Africa reported in October 2024.

The organiser’s site points visitors to a Register to Attend link and lists no ticket price. Its registration pages did not load as readable text when we checked on 17 October, so the form fields and confirmation steps are not described here.

The Eventbrite listing carries a sold-out label and shows no ticket types, although its page data lists a price of zero. It is therefore unclear whether free passes are capped for any day.

The organiser warns that third-party events using the fair’s or LCCI’s name are not endorsed. It advises checking any contact through its official line, +234 700 524 6724, before paying anything.

Who Is Exhibiting and What to See

LCCI is targeting more than 1,000 exhibitors, with interest from more than 20 countries, The Real Media reported. The organiser’s site describes an earlier edition with 330 exhibitors from 12 countries, so the target is roughly three times that size.

The Real Media puts the visitor target above one million and the exhibition space above 20,000 square metres. Tribune Online, quoting the same LCCI official on 5 October, gives over 500,000 visitors, and the Guardian Nigeria gives no visitor target.

Japan is expected to bring about 30 companies to a pavilion run through JETRO, its external trade organisation, the Guardian Nigeria wrote. The organiser’s site also gives JETRO and the exhibition company United Asia International Exhibition Co. Limited their own sections.

A dedicated business-to-business and business-to-government room will be managed by Compass Global Business and Services, led by Tokunbo Chiedu. The Tech Hub, which covers telecoms, software and ICT firms, will move within the International Hall.

The Africa Hall promotes trade inside the continent under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. LCCI is working with Afreximbank, the African trade bank, to promote the Intra-African Trade Fair 2027, which Nigeria will host for the first time.

A children’s corner will receive primary and secondary school pupils, and the organiser’s site records 2,539 students from 61 schools at an earlier edition. Backers named in the press briefing include Zenith Bank, banker of the fair for the next three years, along with Afreximbank, Dangote Industries and Oando Energy Resources.

The Venue and Getting There

Tafawa Balewa Square sits in Onikan on Lagos Island, the older commercial core of the city. The Eventbrite listing offers free parking at the venue, though it does not say how many spaces there are.

The US State Department notes that app-based ride-shares are widely used in Lagos and are viewed as safer than traditional taxis. It also says flooding is common from May to October in urban centres like Lagos, so the November dates fall just after the wet season.

Our report on Lagos Airport Asks Flyers to Arrive Up to 4 Hours Early sets out the airport’s own guidance. It is worth reading before booking any flight home from the fair.

The fair overlaps two other dated events, the Lagos Fringe Arts Festival Runs 3 to 8 November 2026 and the Art X Lagos Art Fair Runs 5 to 8 November 2026. A visitor staying about ten days could fit all three into one trip.

Tips for US and Foreign Visitors

The US State Department says US citizens need a Nigerian visa and must apply before travelling. Its Level 3, Reconsider Travel advisory was issued on 12 June 2026 and last updated on 25 June 2026.

Lagos is not among the states on the advisory’s Do Not Travel list. It therefore falls under the general Level 3 rating for the country, and our guide Nigeria Safety for Expats 2026: Five Countries, Not One explains the differences between regions.

Travellers over nine months old must show yellow fever and polio vaccination certificates on arrival. Passports need at least six months of validity beyond the arrival date and one blank page for each stamp.

A US Consulate General operates in Lagos, but the US government says its ability to provide emergency services outside Abuja, Lagos and their surrounding areas is limited. Any value above US$10,000 must be declared on entry and on exit.

At the Central Bank of Nigeria’s 16 October rate of about ₦1,332 per US dollar, ₦13,320 is about US$10. Entry is free, so spending is mostly on travel, the visa and accommodation, none of which the organiser sets.

Anyone staying on into the festive season can plan ahead with Detty December 2026: Lagos and Accra Events, Dates, Costs and Travel Guide. It covers the music and nightlife events that follow the fair.

What Is Not Confirmed Yet

Daily opening and closing times are not published on the organiser’s site, and the Eventbrite listing gives only a first-day start. The sold-out label on that listing is not explained.

Whether free entry also covers the Entertainment Village on every day has not been stated. No separate fee, if any, has been published for the business-to-business room or for special days.

The sources reviewed do not confirm that the President will open the fair. The visitor target is reported as over one million by The Real Media and over 500,000 by Tribune Online, so it is unverified.

On 17 October the organiser’s statistics panel still showed placeholder zeros, and no exhibitor or country list for 2026 was available. Readers should treat the 1,000-exhibitor figure as a target, not a count.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is the Lagos International Trade Fair 2026?

It runs from Friday 6 to Sunday 15 November 2026 at Tafawa Balewa Square in Onikan, Lagos Island. The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry organises it and calls this the 40th edition.

Is entry to the Lagos trade fair free?

LCCI announced at a 24 September press conference that entry would be free for visitors and exhibitors. The organiser’s site still asks visitors to register and publishes no ticket price for 2026.

Do US citizens need a visa for the Lagos trade fair?

Yes, the US State Department says US citizens need a Nigerian visa and must apply before travelling. Its Level 3, Reconsider Travel advisory was last updated on 25 June 2026.

Sources: Lagos International Trade Fair (LCCI), organiser site; organiser site, Explore page; Eventbrite listing of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry; The Real Media, 24 September 2026; The Guardian Nigeria, 30 September 2026; Tribune Online, 5 October 2026; Central Bank of Nigeria, exchange rates, 16 October 2026; MSME Africa, 11 October 2024; US State Department, Nigeria travel advisory, updated 25 June 2026.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief