LAGOS, NIGERIA: Pakistan has intensified its push into West African markets, launching a series of trade and investment engagements in Lagos aimed at strengthening commercial ties, expanding export opportunities, and positioning Pakistani businesses in one of Africa’s most dynamic economic regions.
Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Commerce, Rana Ihsaan Afzal Khan, led a series of high-level economic diplomacy engagements in Lagos, underscoring Islamabad’s growing interest in one of Africa’s fastest-expanding markets. The visit featured strategic government-to-government discussions, the inauguration of Pakistan’s Pavilion at Beauty West Africa (BWA) 2025, and a networking forum bringing together Pakistani exporters with senior Nigerian industry leaders.
Khan held a substantive meeting with Aisha Rimi, Executive Secretary and CEO of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC). Their discussions centred on Nigeria’s evolving investment landscape and opportunities for Pakistan to expand its presence in manufacturing, agro-processing, IT-enabled services, logistics, and supply-chain solutions.
Both sides also reviewed mechanisms to deepen institutional cooperation between NIPC and Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), including enhanced information-sharing, streamlined procedures, and coordinated investor outreach. The two officials agreed to maintain “structured, forward-leaning engagement” to strengthen bilateral economic ties.
Khan later inaugurated the Pakistan Pavilion at Beauty West Africa (BWA) 2025, the continent’s largest beauty and personal care exhibition, held at the Landmark Center in Lagos. Pakistan fielded a 23-company delegation — 19 firms supported by TDAP and four self-financed exhibitors — showcasing a wide range of cosmetic and personal care products.
BWA 2025 features more than 350 exhibitors and attracts over 6,000 buyers, offering a strategic gateway to Africa’s rapidly expanding beauty and wellness market, projected to reach USD 69.53 billion in 2025. Nigeria’s booming e-commerce sector, expected to generate USD 439.77 million in beauty-related online sales next year, further strengthens prospects for Pakistani exporters.
A high-level networking dinner, hosted by the Commercial Section of the High Commission of Pakistan at the Radisson Blu Anchorage on Victoria Island, brought together leading Nigerian importers and distributors, senior banking executives, a top customs-clearing agent, officials from NAFDAC, and the Chairman of the Cosmetics and Drugs Chapter of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN).
Nigerian industry experts briefed the Pakistani delegation on regulatory protocols, product registration requirements, compliance standards, and banking procedures, offering detailed insight into the operational and regulatory dynamics of the local market. Khan praised the proactive engagement from both sides and encouraged Pakistani companies to establish deeper, long-term commercial linkages across West Africa.
The engagements represent a significant step in Pakistan’s broader strategy to diversify export markets and tap into Africa’s demographic and economic potential. With West Africa emerging as one of the continent’s most dynamic regions, Pakistan’s growing presence in Nigeria — Africa’s largest economy and consumer market — signals a deliberate shift toward sustained, diversified commercial partnerships.
Khan’s Lagos mission reflects Islamabad’s intent to position Pakistani enterprises at the forefront of new opportunities across manufacturing, beauty and wellness, logistics, and services, strengthening Pakistan’s role in Africa’s evolving economic landscape.
