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 Nigeria’s 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 bank’s 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 “a living expression” of the institution’s 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 bank’s value proposition for participants. She disclosed that vendors using the bank’s POS systems can access loans of up to ₦30 million, underscoring that the support framework extends well beyond the festival period.
“The loans are there for you to take, and it’s not just for food businesses,” Adegite said, referencing earlier interventions such as the bank’s subsidised “food and fashion” loan scheme, which saw increased uptake after vendors experienced the festival’s 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 festival’s true value in more human terms. “What makes this platform special is not just its scale, but its humanity,” he noted. “It 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.”
