Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has hailed Lagos as the fastest growing tech cluster in the world, praising the city’s dynamic innovation ecosystem and urging stronger partnerships between London and Africa’s emerging tech powerhouses.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS during a landmark visit to Nigeria’s commercial capital as part of his trade mission to Africa, Khan expressed amazement at Lagos’ thriving tech landscape, particularly the innovation hub in Yaba—which he referred to as “Yabacon Valley.”
“I’ve brought with me some really talented London companies in the sustainable world, in the fintech world and others and we come not as patrons, not in a patronising way,” he started. “I recognise the history of the UK and Nigeria has not been an equal one in the past.
“The new government’s reset relations, we’ve come as partners but I also recognise that Lagos is the fastest growing tech cluster in the world. The amount of ambition, the amount of energy, the amount of great ideas in Lagos is astonishing. This is the financial capital of west of Africa.”
Khan’s visit marks the first-ever trade delegation to Africa led by a Mayor of London, with stops in Lagos, Accra, Johannesburg, and Cape Town. Accompanied by leading London-based companies in fintech, sustainability, and other sectors, he emphasised that the delegation comes not as patrons, but as equal partners ready to reset historical imbalances and forge meaningful collaboration.
He drew parallels between the development of London’s tech scene and what he observed in Lagos. Recalling the early days of “Silicon Roundabout” at Old Street in East London, Khan pointed out that London now boasts over 120 unicorns—a result of consistent investment, infrastructure, and policy support.
He said, “I see in Lagos, in Yaba, there’s raw energy and I call it, Yabacon, Yabacon Valley because I can see the conglomeration of different sectors, but it is a good example of what you can become with a combination of hard work, access to capital, good ideas, a good team around you and so forth.”
Beyond tech, Khan highlighted the importance of deepening ties in culture, sports, and fashion, stressing the creative and entrepreneurial spirit shared by both Lagos and London.
“I recognise that if we’re going to do even better, we need to have more trade relations but also cultural relations is very important, sports, fashion and that’s the joy of Lagos and the joy of London.”
He noted, “Anybody watching this or listening to this should be so hopeful about the future of Lagos.”
Melissa Enoch
Follow us on:
