This article is part of the new ft Globetrotter guide to Wet
So you have decided to come to Lagos for a business trip. Why? But seriously, welcome.
You may have heard that lagos can be chaotic at best. That’s true. It is an inevitability when the country’s smallest state from the Earth area also holds its largest urban population of more than 20MM. There are more people in Lagos, a small strip of water surrounded by London and the combined New York. Pack the Sun screen – the sun truly shines here. Heat and humidity can leave people with the right skin to look quite red.
The first thing you need to know is that the lagos is not for the pallor of the heart. Many visitors have thought that the airport, especially the old international terminal that is now undergoing some renovations, can often be a taste of what will come. The airport also holds a valuable lesson: you have to exercise patience, many of it, at every step in Lagos.
Outside the airport, a city is waiting for widespread with wild traffic. Lagos is a mirror in the wider Nigerian society where wealth, often bold and sometimes extreme, lives side by side with bright poverty. If you, dear readers, are visiting Lagos for a business trip, it is likely that you see poor floating communities as you are giving up to shine the towers in the Victoria Island Business Circle or the clubs of private ornamental members who dot ioyyi and its surroundings.
However, welcome once again. And keep in mind that the only universal code in Lagos is that there are almost no rules and everything is being created as we continue. If you are contagious to order or time, as I am often, this can be extremely disappointing and you need to learn to roll with punches. But if you are a free spirit not the opposite to the fun, you have found the perfect city. If there is one thing that lagos knows how to do, how to spend a good time. After all, it is the home of December December, a season a month of entertainment and good vibration that marks the end of each year and brings the Nigerian Diaspora and other nationalities.
Lagos is also the capital of Afrobats, the musical genre that has taken the world from the storm and has people dancing across the globe, from Johannesburg to London, New York and Australia. As singer Bany W noted in his 2009 seminal hit “Lagos Party”, “There is no party as a party in Lagos”. He is right.
greet
Hugs with the people you know are barely rare (abundant when you know them); French-style kisses on the cheek are non-existent. A strong handshake works in most of the business environments in Lagos, regardless of the gender of the person at the end of the intake. Like the rest of the residence country, Lagos has a large culture of loud respect, so a bow of species while shaking hands, especially with a much older person, goes a long way. It costs you nothing like a stranger and collects a lot of good will. There is no weakness for this.
In meetings at restaurants, expect to hear a lot of “sir” and “ma” from the reception staff, who pip each interaction with one or the other. I see most of it overloaded, but these are the unwritten customs of the earth. Never call anyone with their first name if they specifically ask you to do. And even then, exercise restrictions. It is usually better to turn to people like “Mr.”, “Mrs.” Or “MS”. Most people here use a honor; You will almost certainly meet a “boss” or “dr”. Call them “boss” and you are halfway to win their faith. Respect – or, on the contrary, respect for signaling – is a large part of Nigerian culture. Go against him to your danger.
MEETINGS
Program your meetings, but be fully aware that starting time is a suggestion in lagos rather than a binding agreement. If you are 10 minutes late, there is still a very good chance you are early. But always be meticulous and plan before how to overcome traffic.
You may have to wait. It is not uncommon to keep the heel kick for 30 minutes or more, especially if you are meeting a “big man”.
After exchanging pleasures, there will be conversations about how you are finding Lagos, questions about your family, such as wife/husband and children are leaving home. Don’t worry; Your interlocutor is not collecting intel for unfair purposes. They are trying to make you rest before you enter the issue of the day. I enjoy it.
The phones will sound during meetings. Your host will almost certainly stop an appointment to answer one of their phones at one point. Bring a business card and submit one to everyone on the table. It is very important that they can already have your details.
Most importantly, do not come with empty hands: Bring “Gist”. What is Gist, I hear you ask? In the Nigeria Parliament, it is the fraud or rumors that can be sprinkled throughout your meeting or conversation. You may have come to discuss an oil or telecommunications agreement, but you will also be involved in this dissemination of non-public variety-for a senator, say, which has provided a sharp contract, or an executive without favor of the authorities. A friend of mine who lives in London who regularly visits Lagos for work tells me that her meetings are incomplete without this ritual. Always is always better if the element of your gist is true, but do not stop by sharing that scandalous third or fourth hand story you have chosen from another meeting. The city runs in Gist.
Dress code
You look smart and come dressed properly. This is important. People here often use a person’s clothes as a representative for their wealth or staying in society. Mark Zuckerberg’s soft T -shirts would do no favor here. I always advise men to throw suits if possible in favor of Oxford shirts and pants because the heat is colliding and separated. But I am a journalist who is not necessarily related to the rules of business dressing. If you are a man, wear a suit – you may or may not access a tie. Dresses are usually good for women.
In the right circumstances, especially if it is in the evening, do not be afraid to wear “trade”, as traditional African dresses are called in street language. Wearing this as a stranger, whether as a person in color or a skein (white person), will only enjoy your hosts and will gain praise.
Buy for trade while you are here too. Tailists will usually hand over to hotels, and your business associates will have tailors to recommend who, for a princely sum, can turn your raw fabric into a ready -to -wear outfit within a few days.
Companion
There is a great chance that you will be invited to lunch, dinner or drink. Say yes. This is unlikely to be a quick coffee. Wait a holiday. The city has excellent dining opportunities, and people are very happy to welcome you to their homes.
Being on a work trip does not prevent you from having fun, so lean in it. If this is your first time in Lagos, seek to try Jolof Rice, the West African dish – many countries in the region argue for the best version. I am biased but for me it is Nigeria.
Booze will flow to after work events. Many agreements are locked in these relaxed environments. Drink in moderation, especially on weekdays. Forms the bad form for people to assume you are drunk. If you are teetotal, participate anyway and throw in many virgin cocktails that restaurants here have on their menus. Warning: They are sugar.
Wait to eat food in. . . No meals. Dinner can be at 18:00 or 11:00, depending on how late in the evening. Time is a concept made in Lagos. You will need to ignore your sleep time and push you.
Lagos loves a dizzying holiday that spends at night, especially on weekends. The party scene is on and visible, with exotic bottles of drinks selling for multiple national minimum wage. This can be redundant for a middle -aged business executive in the city for business; Look for your contacts to put you in one of the clubs of private members in the city, where the entertainment is quieter and more controlled.
Always is always better to have money, but card transactions work mostly well here as well. Lagos is the epicenter of the Nigeria technology industry, and Fintech and banks have mainly resolved digital payments. The economy is in the shames, and you are most likely to spend more in one place than your waiter throughout the month. Having foreign currency at a time when local Naira is also falling out of advantage. Generous advice.
Aanu Adeoye is a correspondent of Western FT and Central Africa
Do you have any business business advice in Lagos? Divide them in the comments below. And follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @Ftglobetrotter
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