GTCO festival boosts local businesses, sparks economic impact

By Queen Phillips

Beneath the vibrant Lagos skyline, the GTCO Street Food Festival pulses with flavor, culture, and the unmistakable heartbeat of small business ambition. For Chizoba Dike, the soft crackle of roasting corn isn’t just the sound of sizzling street food, it’s the soundtrack of survival, resilience, and rising opportunity.

“I sell corn near Oniru Beach,” she says, her hands expertly turning golden cobs over hot coals. “I buy my corn from Ketu. A bag now goes for N33,000, and depending on the size, we sell a cob for N500 to N1,000. Sometimes, even more if the market favors us.”

Chizoba is one of hundreds of vendors at this year’s GTCO Street Food Festival, a festival that has evolved beyond a celebration of flavor into a powerful economic platform for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). For her, this marks her third appearance at the event. “The experience keeps getting better,” she says with a grateful smile. “That’s why I keep coming back. I thank GTCO for the opportunity.”

While the smoky aroma of roasted corn and the tang of peppered Asun fill the air, deeper undercurrents of growth and transformation swirl around the venue.

Michael Williams, a beverage vendor and returning participant, passionately praises GTCO’s consistent support of Nigeria’s creative economy. “GT Bank is very pro-small business,” he says. “This event is not just about food, it’s about visibility, networking, and expansion. We meet new customers here who later patronize us outside the festival. It’s a win.”

His drinks stall, packed with colorful slushies and elegant cocktails, has been buzzing since the gates opened. “Our Passion Berry Essence is a crowd favorite. It’s an alcoholic cocktail that people love. Then there’s Labuli Ice Tea, strong and unique. For the kids and non-drinkers, our chocolate and vanilla milkshakes, and the CBY Lemonade slushy, fly off the shelves.”

But the impact of the festival goes beyond sales. “This contributes to national economic development,” Michael asserts. “Thriving economies are built on sustainable SMEs. What GTCO is doing here is giving small businesses the platform to grow and scale. That’s nation-building.”

For Adebisi Badrimah, CEO of Workbox Oriental Express, the festival has done more than increase her sales, it has expanded her brand visibility and helped her introduce Nigerian palates to her signature Oriental offerings.

“This is my third time here,” she says. “It’s always been a great platform. People see us online, but this festival gives them the chance to taste our food. And once they do, they always come back.”

Her top-seller? “The Workbox Singapore Noodles, beef, chicken, prawns, all stir-fried with our special homemade sauce. But this year, we introduced something new—the Asu Pasta. It’s fusilli pasta mixed with spicy goat meat and pepper sauce. The feedback? Phenomenal. People have returned for it every single day.”

What unites these vendors, Chizoba with her smoky corn, Michael with his signature cocktails, and Adebisi with her gourmet noodles, is a shared story of opportunity, grit, and growth.

The festival, now in its latest edition, isn’t just a place for Lagosians to eat and drink, it’s a launchpad for micro-enterprises to reach new audiences, scale operations, and connect with other entrepreneurs. It is a melting pot of innovation, where recipes are shared, strategies exchanged, and business cards swapped.

The organizers have done more than provide tents and foot traffic. “They gave us POS machines, helped with seamless payment systems, and made sure we were well set up,” Michael says. “This isn’t cheap to pull off, but GTCO does it because they believe in what we do.”

The overwhelming footfall, endless queues, and returning customers are a testament to the festival’s success. “Next year, they’ll need a bigger venue,” Michael predicts. “This is just the beginning.”

For vendors like Chizoba, Adebisi, and Michael, the GTCO Street Food Festival is more than a food fair, it’s a transformative experience. One that’s building brands, lifting communities, and feeding the Nigerian economy one grilled corn and slushy lemonade at a time.