Networking in Lagos: what actually works

Lagos is one of the easiest cities in the world to meet people and one of the hardest to stay in touch with. There are more rooms to be in than anyone can attend, and the commute decides how many of them you actually reach. So a strategy that works in a compact city falls apart here.

Pick two rooms, not ten

The person who is present at two events a month, consistently, remembers more names than the person who dashes into six. Repetition is what makes you familiar, and familiarity is what makes people send you work. Choose the rooms where your clients already are, then keep showing up in the same ones.

Arrive with one question, not a pitch

Half the room is holding a business card and a prepared sentence. The other half is tired of hearing it. A single real question — what are you working on this quarter, what is slowing you down, why did you come tonight — makes you the easiest person to talk to in the room. People remember how you made them feel far longer than what you do.

Say what you do in nine words

"I help hospitals fill the appointments people forget to attend" travels across a room. "I do digital transformation consulting and business development for SMEs" does not survive the noise. Short, plain, specific — and then stop talking. Let them ask.

Trade details once, not twice

In Lagos, the second exchange usually fails. They write your number on a card they then lose, or they spell your name wrong in a phone that is low on storage. One scan or one link gets your full details into their phone in a tap, spelled correctly, with your photo attached so the name keeps a face.

Sending a QR code in a WhatsApp chat works the same way. Two people scan on the spot, and neither of you spends the event typing.

Follow up before the 24-hour mark

The follow-up window here is shorter than people think, because the week fills up fast and a Monday morning in traffic is not the time for thoughtful messages. Send the same night. Two sentences is enough: where you met, what you spoke about, the next step.

Make it easy for people to pass your name on

Most opportunities in this city move by referral, and referrals need a link. When someone says "send me your details so I can pass them on," the answer should be one shareable link that opens a card with your photo, your work and your contact — not a typed paragraph. That is what makes you easy to recommend.

The compound effect

Do this for two rooms, every month, for six months, and you end up with something no single event can produce: a group of people who know exactly what you do, can repeat it to someone else, and still have your details in their phone.