The Centre for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) has launched its Africa Hub in Lagos to strengthen business associations, boost cross-border collaboration and deepen private sector participation in policymaking across the continent.
The hub marks a shift in CIPE’s approach, with programme management and decision-making now based in Africa. Executive Director of CIPE, Andrew Wilson, described it as a milestone for the organisation and the African private sector. He said the hub would serve as a platform to unify efforts, support democratic institutions and empower chambers of commerce to play a greater role in shaping inclusive growth.
Wilson noted that CIPE-backed reforms directly impact daily business life by lowering costs, cutting red tape, creating fairer markets and building trust with government and society. He explained that the Africa Hub aligns with CIPE’s global strategy, built around three themes — expanding economic opportunity, promoting economic freedom and strengthening market resilience.
Nigeria, he noted, was a natural choice for the hub, with Lagos standing out as one of Africa’s leading centres of commerce and innovation.U.S. Consul General for Southern Nigeria, Rick Swart, said the hub would strengthen chambers of commerce, deepen U.S.–Africa trade ties, and reinforce democratic stability across the continent.
Chief of Staff at CIPE, Becky Johnson, said the hub formalises CIPE’s long-standing cross-border operations, noting it already works with more than 500 chambers across Africa and helped establish the Nigeria Chamber of Commerce for Women, which represents over four million women-owned businesses. She added that the hub’s mid-term goal is to build the advocacy capacity of chambers and associations so they can engage effectively with governments.
“It is important that business be part of the solution when it comes to policymaking,” she noted. In a fireside chat at the launch, CIPE officials said the hub would help businesses tackle challenges such as regulatory bottlenecks and improve cross-border collaboration.
They explained that the new structure would create efficiencies by decentralising decision-making and deploying technical experts closer to markets, while aligning local business needs with regional and global strategies.
The CIPE Global Managing Director of Programme, Abdulwahab Alkebsi, cautioned that Africa must attract “constructive capital” — investment that builds competitive markets and strengthens labour and environmental standards — rather than “corrosive capital” that exploits weak regulations.
He said the hub will give chambers and associations a platform to work collectively on these issues and equip businesses to engage policymakers on reforms that matter to their growth.
The CIPE said the Africa Hub will focus on localised programming in individual countries while promoting regional collaboration to advance democratic governance, economic prosperity, and institutional resilience.
