*Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency, emphasises Nigeria’s commitment to data, cloud, operational, and AI sovereignty towards becoming ‘an active builder of the technology’, as Lagos State Deputy Governor Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat declares Lagos remains ‘Africa’s innovation capital’
Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect
As the 2nd Edition of the GITEX NIGERIA officially opened with an inauguration ceremony attended by influential figures from government and industry, in Abuja, FCT, technology enterprises, government policymakers, investors, and startups Wednesday, September 2, 2026, also converged on Lagos to accelerate West Africa’s ascent in the global intelligence economy.
ConsumerConnect reports that following Monday’s sell-out Government Leadership & AI Summit in Abuja, West Africa’s largest tech, AI, and startup event has transitioned to Nigeria’s financial and economic hub for two days of breakthrough innovation, product showcases, and strategic dialogue.
Held under the patronage of Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, GITEX NIGERIA is supported by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE) in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
The Lagos State Government also endorsed the conference, organised by KAOUN International, the global organiser of GITEX events.
It is noted that the West Africa’s powerhouse tech and AI event as well opened, in Lagos, with a high-profile inauguration ceremony before the Tech Expo and Future Economy Conference.
Lagos sets pace for Africa’s innovation economy
Ranked as the world’s fastest-growing tech hub in the 2025 Dealroom Global Tech Ecosystem Index, Lagos recorded an 11.6-fold increase in enterprise value to US$15.3 billion and produced five unicorns, placing it ahead of 287 cities across 69 countries.
As home to almost 1,000 active startups – around two-thirds of Nigeria’s nationwide ecosystem, Lagos, fondly called the “State of Aquatic Splendour”, in Nigeria, is also Africa’s highest-ranked startup hub, and hosts 23 of the 28 Nigerian businesses featured in the Financial Times’ 2025 ranking of Africa’s fastest-growing companies.
Commending the state’s success in consolidating its position as Nigeria’s leading tech and startup hub, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, Deputy Governor of Lagos State, said: “GITEX NIGERIA is here because Lagos is consequential.
“What happens in this city sets the direction for a continent of around 1.4 billion people.”
Hamzat stated: “That’s exactly why the conversation about Africa’s future economy belongs here in Lagos. “The ambition of the Lagos State Government is very clear: we want Lagos recognised not only as Nigeria’s commercial capital, but as Africa’s innovation capital.
“A position like that cannot be declared; it has to be earned through infrastructure, talent, policy, and execution.”
Accelerating Africa into a single digital continental market
Highlighting the importance of building interoperable digital infrastructure that connects African innovation with commercial opportunities across the continent, H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, stated: “Africa should not simply import digital infrastructure systems developed for other countries outside of the continent.
“We possess the talent, innovation, and technical expertise required to shape our own digital transformation and ensure that it serves our integration and development objectives.”
Mene stated: “We must act now; we can connect Africa’s innovation to a single digital continental market in which the African private sector can operate, transact, and expand across borders, converting digital innovation into commercially meaningful trade.”
Inuwa: Nigeria advances ambition to build, innovate and lead Africa
Speaking on the strategic importance of Nigeria’s push to build and lead digital innovation on the African continent, Malam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, Director-General of NITDA has emphasised the West African country’s ambition to empower homegrown innovation, advance digital sovereignty, and become an active builder of technology.
Inuwa said: “As a nation, we need to be intentional if we want to be an active participant in this economy.
“We also have real-world problems that need innovative solutions.”
The Director-General of the IT sector regulatory also said: “Therefore, we need to create the enabling environment for our young, talented people to innovate and create the digital offerings for the future economy.
“We are looking at our data sovereignty, our cloud sovereignty, our operational sovereignty, and our AI sovereignty.
“We don’t want to be at the receiving end of technology; we want to be an active builder of the technology.”
Strengthening interoperability, data protection and cybersecurity
The inauguration also highlighted President Tinubu’s signing of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026, in June.
It is noted that the NIMC Act replaced the 2007 legislation with a modern framework for secure and inclusive digital identity. Reinforcing the National Identification Number (NIN) as Nigeria’s primary identity credential, the Act aims to strengthen interoperability, data protection, cybersecurity, and access to public and private-sector services.
Speaking on the national identity initiative, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, Director-General and CEO of NIMC, reportedly emphasised the indispensable value of digital trust.
Engr. Coker-Odusote stated: “Connection without trust breeds vulnerability.
“When trust is embedded into the framework, onboarding becomes effortless, paperwork vanishes, and cross-border trade accelerates.”
She also stated: “The African Continental Free Trade Area promises the world’s largest integrated market, but trade today goes through digital channels.
“Contracts must be signed, credentials verified, and payments authenticated seamlessly across jurisdictions.”
The NIMC Chief Executive noted: “The Federal Government recognises that digital identity, public key infrastructure (PKI)-based trust, and digital public infrastructure are inseparable parts of a single ecosystem.”
Cross-sector AI-first transformation takes centre-stage
Organisers of the event said the Lagos inauguration Wednesday really marked the opening of the 2nd Edition of GITEX NIGERIA Tech Expo for September 2-3.
It is noted that over 400 exhibiting companies and startups are presenting “disruptive solutions”, designed to accelerate cross-sector transformation, alongside thousands of visitors and over 200 investors managing US$200 billion in assets.
Highlighting the international connections and collective commitment underpinning GITEX NIGERIA 2026, Trixie LohMirmand, CEO of GITEX, asserted: “GITEX NIGERIA is here to create vital connections that enable Nigerian and African innovators to take their technologies and ideas to the world while accessing knowledge, networks, international partnerships, and opportunities.
It was also gathered that there are great commitment and collective responsibility among leadership, stakeholders, the private sector, and ourselves not just to connect, but to accelerate, because competition for investment, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), knowledge, and scaling is hard and fast.
LohMirmand also observed that Nigeria has the scale, Lagos has the ambition and energy.
He further stated: “We aim to grow collectively and put Africa at the top – not just as a consumer of AI, but as a globally competitive producer.”
For more information, news and updates on GITEX NIGERIA, consumers are urged to visit: www.gitexnigeria.ng.