Guaranty Trust Holding Company PLC has unveiled plans for the 9th edition of its flagship Food and Drink Festival, offering 204 free retail stalls to vendors in what it describes as a deliberate push to deepen enterprise, inclusion and consumer engagement within Nigeriaโs informal and small business economy.
The three-day event is scheduled to run from May 1 to May 3, 2026, at the GT Centre, Plot 1 Water Corporation Drive, Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos, with organisers positioning it as both a commercial hub and a cultural convergence point.
The announcement was made at a press briefing held at the bankโs headquarters in Victoria Island, where senior executives outlined an expanded vision for the festival-one that goes beyond retail activity to encompass financing access, capacity development and experiential learning.
Group Chief Executive Officer, Segun Agbaje, described the festival as โa living expressionโ of the institutionโs commitment to innovation and inclusive opportunity. According to him, the initiative has evolved into a platform where enterprise is not only showcased but actively supported.
Representing the CEO, Chief Communication Officer Oyinade Adegite emphasised that financing remains central to the bankโs value proposition for participants. She disclosed that vendors using the bankโs POS systems can access loans of up to โฆ30 million, underscoring that the support framework extends well beyond the festival period.
โThe loans are there for you to take, and itโs not just for food businesses,โ Adegite said, referencing earlier interventions such as the bankโs subsidised โfood and fashionโ loan scheme, which saw increased uptake after vendors experienced the festivalโs commercial benefits.
Now in its ninth year, the GTCO Food and Drink Festival continues to expand in both scale and ambition. Organisers say the 2026 edition will deliver a broader culinary experience, featuring a wide array of cuisines and narratives that reflect both local and global food cultures.
Agbaje, however, framed the festivalโs true value in more human terms. โWhat makes this platform special is not just its scale, but its humanity,โ he noted. โIt brings together people from different walks of life around something universal-food and drink-breaking barriers and building connections that extend far beyond the event itself.โ
