Salone del Mobile enters Lagos as Italian furniture exports to Nigeria rise 27%

Salone del Mobile.Milano, the world’s leading design trade fair, has entered the Nigerian market as Italian furniture exports to the country rose 27 percent in 2025 to €41.6 million, underscoring Nigeria’s growing importance to international design businesses.

The Italian design platform made its Nigerian debut, during Design Week Lagos 2026, bringing international design leaders into direct engagement with Nigerian architects, interior designers, property developers, manufacturers and business leaders as it explores opportunities in one of Africa’s expanding furniture markets.

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Nigeria was Italy’s fourth-largest furniture export market in Africa in 2025, while Italian furniture exports to the continent rose 13.1 percent to €448.4 million, according to figures released by Salone del Mobile. Milano.

The figures position Nigeria as a significant market for Italian design companies seeking growth beyond established markets, but also raise questions about how local manufacturers can capture more value from rising demand for furniture and interior products.

Demand has continued to strengthen in 2026. Nigerian demand for Italian bathroom furniture surged by 108.6 percent in the first half of the year, pointing to growing opportunities in a segment linked to residential construction, property development and interior renovation.

The Lagos visit is part of Salone del Mobile’s strategy to consolidate existing markets while exploring territories with high growth potential. The engagement is also intended to help Italian companies understand local consumer preferences and connect Nigerian creative professionals with international manufacturing expertise.

Marco Sabetta, general manager of Salone del Mobile. Milano, said the engagement would provide international companies with insights into Nigerian lifestyles, needs and market opportunities, while giving local talent access to global design and manufacturing networks.

“The competitiveness of design companies depends on their ability to interpret different ways of living, cultures, and needs,” Sabetta said.

He added that the discussions in Lagos had offered companies new perspectives that could inform their future products and solutions.

The engagement comes as Nigeria’s design industry seeks to bridge the gap between creative talent, locally available materials and commercially competitive products. Stakeholders at Design Week Lagos have argued that the continent’s abundance of raw materials and creative skills has not translated into a sufficiently strong manufacturing base or globally competitive design businesses.

Titi Ogufere, founder of Design Week Lagos, said the industry needed to move beyond showcasing African creativity towards developing products, production systems and businesses capable of competing in international markets.

“The next chapter of African design cannot be about visibility alone,” Ogufere said, calling for stronger links between materials, manufacturing and commerce.

She identified gaps in professional training, product development and collaboration between designers and manufacturers as constraints on the sector’s growth. She also called for greater government investment in design education, research and the development of products from locally sourced materials.

For Nigerian manufacturers, the growing international interest presents both an opportunity and a competitive challenge. Access to global design expertise, production techniques and distribution networks could help local businesses improve their products and reach new markets. However, without stronger financing, technical capacity and reliable partnerships, rising demand could also create opportunities that better-established international suppliers are more prepared to capture.

Adobi Stella Nwapa, executive director of Zenith Bank, said the creative sector needed business structures and financing to convert talent into sustainable enterprises.

“Talent gets you noticed. The structure gets you financed,” Nwapa said, urging creative entrepreneurs to formalise their businesses, maintain proper financial records, separate personal and business funds, and build teams that can support growth beyond their founders.

She also called on larger companies to support local manufacturers by purchasing their products and honouring agreed payment terms, arguing that stronger commercial relationships were necessary to build sustainable creative businesses.

The challenge extends to design education. Marva Griffin Wilshire, Founder and Curator of SaloneSatellite, the platform dedicated to emerging designers, urged Nigerian educational institutions to establish partnerships with international design schools to strengthen technical skills and expose young creatives to global opportunities.

Griffin said SaloneSatellite had worked with participants from more than 350 universities and design schools over more than 27 years, but expressed concern about the limited participation of African institutions.

She called for partnerships between Nigerian schools and international institutions to help young designers develop products that meet commercial and international market requirements.

Her visit also included recognition at the inaugural IDEA Honours ceremony in Lagos, where she received the Architectural Legacy Honour for her contribution to international design through SaloneSatellite. Ghanaian-Scottish architect and author Lesley Lokko received the Architectural Leadership Honour, while artist Yinka Shonibare CBE received the Cultural Impact Honour. The plaque presented to Griffin was designed by Nigerian artist and architect Demas Nwoko.

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The Lagos engagement will continue through the 2026 edition of Design Week Lagos, which runs until October 25 under the theme “Making a New Africa: From Material to Market”.

Salone del Mobile’s next major gathering will be its 65th edition in Milan, scheduled for April 13–18, 2027, at Rho Fiera Milano. The event will provide another opportunity for Nigerian designers and businesses to connect with international manufacturers and the wider global design industry.

For Nigeria, the longer-term opportunity lies in translating growing international attention and consumer demand into stronger domestic production, commercially viable design businesses and products that can compete beyond the local market.