Important Tips for Business Travellers to Lagos

Lagos continues to experience an influx of foreign business travellers into the city. Many of which are C- level executives of multinational companies, entrepreneurs, experts, or specialists.

Lagos is more than the commercial centre of Nigeria. It is the booming economic hub of Africa, which has been experiencing tremendous growth and expansion since 1967. In case you wonder whether Lagos is a good place for business, or why you should do business in Nigeria; note that the country’s projected GDP for 2021 is $514 billion, ranking the highest in Africa and 27th in the world. The value pool of Nigeria's banking and financial section is over $9 billion. While its current metro area population is 15.3m, a 3.54% increase from 2021. The bustling city of Lagos offers enormous opportunities and an accessible market for various economic activities. It continuously attracts new immigrants, startups, and investors from all around the world. There are already existing giant multinational companies across many sectors, providing world-class services. They can attest to the safety of investing and running a business in Lagos.

As a new entrant, entrepreneur, or analyst visiting Lagos for business, this article is meant to guide you on how to have an amazing experience on your business trip to Lagos.

Before you embark on your trip to Lagos, ensure you make a checklist of what's most essential so your trip is not derailed. The following are of considerable importance and should be duly noted.

We understand many new visitors to Lagos may think that Hotels are the only service providers in the city that offer International standards and high-end hospitality services. Well, there are short lets apartments providers in Lagos like GidiStays that offer the sanctity and luxury a perfect home can offer: 24hours electricity, free wifi, clean water, serenity, privacy, and maximum security. We furnish our apartments to suit your taste, irrespective of what part of the world you come from. The interiors and exterior designs are precise and detailed, this makes our homes more than an alternative to a hotel.

To shed more light on this, in the spring of 2019, we hosted a Market Research Analyst who had checked out of a 4-star hotel on Victoria island, after 2 nights. His reason was simple; he wanted to feel at home in Lagos! This would somehow provide him with more insights that would aid his market research. As a French man, it came as a surprise to him that he could easily integrate into the community, a gated estate accommodating about 100+ residents, mainly families. He stayed at our One bedroom apartment in Lekki Phase 1. He enjoyed the cosiness of our apartment and always looked forward to coming home; his privacy and the calmness of the estate were the most soothing for him. From our apartment, he could easily access venues for his business meetings, events, and other locations of interest. We helped make his stay in Lagos a comfortable and enjoyable one. He also took part in many activities like a typical Lagosian, meeting, and bonding with a lot of his neighbours during his morning and evening walks. It helped him understand the city where his company intended to establish a subsidiary.

When it comes to accommodation, trust us to be your best host.

Book now and leave the rest to us.

Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind before and during your business trip to Lagos.

1. Payment Methods

Although most businesses accept electronic transfers and debit/credit cards, which include Visa, Verve, and Mastercard, it is important to always have some cash with you. The use of Naira note can make things easier for you in Lagos for minor purchases or in circumstances where the POS (Point of Sale) machines at the retailer fails due to poor mobile network etc. Naira notes come in denominations of 1000, 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, and 5. 

2. Transportation/Car hire

Online ride hailing services are readily available in most areas of Lagos. Uber works perfectly in Lagos, the drivers are reliable and very professional, and the same goes for Bolt online car hire. For safety reasons, we advise you don't enter cabs that are not registered with an online ride-sharing company.

Alternatively, you can go for higher end transportation services, as it's only natural for high-profiled professionals to prefer the comfort of exclusive luxury vehicles. The city has car rental services that specialise in executive SUVs, and fleet services/convoy, including renting Limo. Rental companies such as VIP fleet, and Journey Max, Golden E Luxury can provide you with executive vehicles, boats, and jets if need be. They can equally pick you and your team up from the airport. Rates go from 200 USD for this service depending on your preferences, and if you want armed security, this can be arranged. We advise you to do further research before employing the services of the aforementioned companies.

3. Telecommunications

Lagos has reliable internet and telecoms facilities and structure. You can dial direct international calls to any part of the world. Nigeria’s country code is +234. The major mobile phone operators in the city are MTN, Glo, Airtel, and 9mobile. If you seek a stronger internet, there are other fibre optic network providers to choose from.

Free internet wifi is one of the amenities you would enjoy at our short let homes in Lagos. Renting our space guarantees you have a fast and steady internet connection. You can connect any and all devices. Our televisions are equally connected to the same internet, you can sit back and entertain yourself with favourite shows on Youtube and Netflix.

4. Healthcare

Ever feel ill? There are available medical facilities in Lagos offering quality healthcare services. Lagos is surrounded by varieties of quality health centers ranging from diagnostic centres to specialist hospitals and multi-specialist private hospitals. It is best advised to see a medical practitioner in a recommended private healthcare centre. Self-diagnosis and getting drugs off the counter might not help you get better.

5. Useful App

A good number of Lagosians rely on mobile applications for their everyday runs, from food delivery to car hire, city navigation, medical appointments, and socialising.

Similar to the western world, right? You should know many of these apps are international and you probably already have them installed on your device.

6. Fine Dining Restaurants

Sometimes you just need to get the perfect ambience for that meeting and also enjoy some quality food and drinks while at it. Lagos has a series of fine dining restaurants with international menus and great recipes. Many of which are classy, and high-end with a combination of great services and a soothing ambience for you to hold your private meetings and even host your date.

We have some recommendations based on some of our guests’ experiences. Art cafe presents excellent options for breakfast, Cactus Restaurant can serve as your breakfast, lunch, and dinner spot. RSVP restaurant is a great one for lunch & dinner. These 3 are located at Victoria Island and they come highly recommended.

7. Conference Meetings & Events

If you plan to host a conference or a small meeting in Lagos, the Eko hotel provides a conducive environment and room sizes that suit your budget and purpose. There are many hotels and locations in Lagos that offer these spaces at a good rate.

Lagos is a beautiful place to visit and spend time in. All that is required to have an amazing experience in this city is knowing the right people to work with. Your choices define your comfort.

Make your next business trip an enjoyable experience, book with us.