Lagos hosts GITEX Nigeria, pushes digital sovereignty
…as Africa eyes global intelligence economy
Tech enterprises, government policymakers, investors, and startups have converged in Lagos to accelerate West Africa’s ascent in the global intelligence economy, as the second edition of the GITEX NIGERIA opened on Wednesday with an inauguration ceremony attended by influential figures from government and industry.
Commending the state’s success in consolidating its position as Nigeria’s leading tech and startup hub, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat stated: “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. 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.”
Highlighting the importance of building interoperable digital infrastructure that connects African innovation with commercial opportunities across the continent, Secretary-General, African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, Wamkele Mene 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.
“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.”
Meanwhile, the Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, emphasised Nigeria’s ambition to empower homegrown innovation, advance digital sovereignty, and become an active builder of technology.
He stated “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. 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.”
In her remarks, the Director-General and CEO of the National Identity Management Commission, Engr. Abisoye Coke-Odusote, stressed the indispensable value of digital trust, stating: “Connection without trust breeds vulnerability. When trust is embedded into the framework, onboarding becomes effortless, paperwork vanishes, and cross-border trade accelerates. 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 Federal Government recognises that digital identity, public key infrastructure (PKI)-based trust, and digital public infrastructure are inseparable parts of a single ecosystem.”
The Lagos inauguration marked the opening of the second edition of the GITEX NIGERIA Tech Expo (2–3 September).
