The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Nigeria is to introduce a Deal Room at its 2026 National Conference to connect transport projects with potential financiers.
Mr Festus Okorie, Chairman Editorial Board of the CILT and Member, Publicity Committee of the conference, disclosed this at a news conference to announce CILT Nigeria 2026 National Conference.
The news conference took place on Wednesday in Lagos.
Okorie described the Deal Room as the first of its kind in the institute’s history and a live transaction marketplace rather than a conventional seminar.
According to him, about 500 delegates are expected to participate in the conference, where selected transport and logistics projects will be presented directly to financiers and private-sector investors.
“The initiative will bring project promoters face-to-face with development finance institutions, infrastructure companies, dealmakers and major private-sector investors.
“The selected projects can include cargo terminals, truck transit parks, cargo charter services and railway-related infrastructure.
“There is no theory. It is just back-to-back projects seeking funding. The initiative is designed to move discussions from ideas to actual transactions,” he said.
Okorie said the Deal Room was necessary because inefficiencies in Nigeria’s transport and logistics system were imposing significant economic costs on the country.
According to him, Nigeria loses about N2.9 trillion annually to logistics inefficiencies, while logistics costs account for about 15 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product.
He said the global average was about eight per cent, adding that significant food losses were linked to transport and inadequate cold-chain infrastructure.
“We cannot consume our way out of this. We must invest our way out,” he said.
Okorie said CILT Nigeria had invited various stakeholders, including the Federal Capital Territory Administration, to submit project concepts for consideration.
He said the technical committees would assess submitted concepts and select the 10 most viable projects for presentation at the conference.
According to him, promoters of the selected projects will pitch them live to potential financiers and investors during the Deal Room sessions.
He said the initiative had received the backing of the institute’s leadership and would form part of efforts to bridge the gap between viable transport projects and available investment capital.
He called on governments, investors and other stakeholders to support the initiative by bringing forward credible projects requiring funding.
Okorie said the Deal Room would provide an opportunity for investors to identify viable projects while enabling CILT Nigeria to demonstrate the services and professional expertise it could offer.
He urged the media to support the initiative by creating awareness and encouraging governments, project developers and investors to participate.
He said the ultimate objective was to move Nigeria’s transport and logistics sector from repeated discussions about challenges to concrete investment and implementation. (NAN)
