Lagos, Nigeria
Lagos Build Week
Seven days inside the continent's loudest, fastest, most demanding market, with the founders and studios who make it work.
· 7 days
Lagos does not ease you in. It is twenty-odd million people running at full speed, and the founders operating here have solved problems in ways that look reckless from the outside and obvious once they explain them.
This week is built around those explanations. We spend our mornings working (real sessions on whatever the group brought with them) and our afternoons out in the city with the people building in it. Fintech operators in Victoria Island. A design collective in Yaba. The logistics company that solved last-mile delivery in a city with no addresses.
It is the most intense trip we run. Members who come tend to come back.
The experience
What the week actually looks like.
Two fixed things a day. The rest is deliberately open.
- 01
Founder sessions
Four hosted conversations with operators running companies at real scale here, in the version they don't give on stage.
- 02
Working mornings
Structured time on your own problem, with the room available to pull apart. Most members arrive with one thing they're stuck on.
- 03
Studio and site visits
Design studios in Yaba, a fashion house on the island, and a warehouse operation you'll think about for months.
- 04
The long table
Dinner every night, everyone together, no phones. It is where the trip actually happens.
The detail
What's included, and what isn't.
Included
- Six nights' accommodation, private room
- All ground transport, including airport transfers
- Breakfast daily and all group dinners
- Every session, studio visit and hosted conversation
- A dedicated trip lead on the ground throughout
- Photography from the week, shared with the group
Not included
- International flights to and from Lagos
- Nigerian visa and any associated fees
- Travel insurance (required)
- Lunches on open days and personal spending
Day by day
The itinerary.
A rough shape rather than a schedule. The useful parts of a trip rarely happen on time.
Day 1
Victoria Island
Arrival and first dinner
Airport pickups through the afternoon, settle in, then the opening dinner on Victoria Island. Introductions done properly: everyone gets five minutes and nobody gets a slide.
Day 2
Ikoyi
The market, explained
Morning session on how Lagos actually works (regulation, payments, talent, infrastructure), hosted by two founders who have built through all of it. Afternoon open.
Day 3
Victoria Island
Fintech day
Working morning, then into the offices of two payments companies operating at national scale. Evening at a rooftop with the wider Lagos founder community.
Day 4
Yaba
Yaba and the makers
Across to the mainland for design studios, a record label and a fashion house. The creative half of the city, on its own terms.
Day 5
Open day
No schedule. Members take meetings, work, or see the city. We put a few options on the table and get out of the way.
Day 6
Ikeja
Operations and scale
A warehouse and last-mile logistics visit in the morning, the least glamorous and most instructive few hours of the week. Long table dinner to close.
Day 7
Close and departures
A final session on what everyone is taking away and what they're committing to. Transfers to the airport from midday.
Nigeria
Lagos
Seven days inside the continent's loudest, fastest, most demanding market, with the founders and studios who make it work.
Gallery
From previous trips.
Before you book
Important information.
Visas
Most passports require a visa for Nigeria. We send a letter of invitation and a step-by-step guide on booking, but the application is yours to make, so start it at least six weeks out.
Pace
This is our most demanding trip. Days are long and the city is loud. If you want a slower first Frontiers trip, Cape Town or Marrakech is the better place to start.
Health
Yellow fever vaccination is required for entry. Malaria prophylaxis is strongly recommended, so talk to a travel clinic well ahead of departure.
Payment
A 30% deposit secures your place. The balance is due 45 days before departure. Full terms are sent with your booking confirmation.
Questions
About this trip.
Do I need to be based in Africa to come?
Is it safe?
Lagos Build Week
Seven days inside the continent's loudest, fastest, most demanding market, with the founders and studios who make it work.