GITEX Nigeria Opens in Lagos, Targets Africa’s Digital Future

"GITEX Nigeria is held under the patronage of President Bola Tinubu and supported by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency."

"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." Kadiri Hamzat.

"The event was designed to connect Nigerian and African innovators with global markets, knowledge, partnerships and investment opportunities." Trixie LohMirmand, Chief Executive Officer of GITEX.

..... Says “Nigeria has the scale; Lagos has the ambition and energy. We aim to grow collectively and put Africa at the top – not just as a consumer of AI, but as a globally competitive producer.”

It was a convergence of top Tech entrepreneurs, policymakers, investors and startups in Lagos as the second edition of GITEX Nigeria opened, with stakeholders seeking to position Nigeria and Africa as major players in the global digital and artificial intelligence economy.

The event, which took place on Wednesday, followed the Government Leadership and AI Summit held in Abuja on Monday, brought the technology exhibition to Lagos for two days of innovation, product showcases and strategic discussions.

GITEX Nigeria is held under the patronage of President Bola Tinubu and supported by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency.

The Lagos State Government also endorsed the event, which is organised by KAOUN International, the global organiser of GITEX events.

Speaking at the inauguration, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Kadri Hamzat, said the state was determined to strengthen its position as Africa’s leading innovation destination.

Hamzat 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.

“That’s exactly why the conversation about Africa’s future economy belongs here in Lagos.”

According to him, the Lagos State Government wants the state to be recognised not only as Nigeria’s commercial capital but also as Africa’s innovation capital.

“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,” Hamzat added.

The Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, called for the development of digital infrastructure tailored to Africa’s development and economic integration needs.

Mene said Africa possessed the talent and technical capacity required to drive its digital transformation, stressing that the continent should not rely entirely on technologies and systems developed outside Africa.

“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,” he said.

The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, said Nigeria was working to create an enabling environment for young innovators to develop solutions to local and global challenges.

Inuwa said the country was also pursuing data, cloud, operational and artificial intelligence sovereignty as part of efforts to become an active producer of technology.

“We don’t want to be at the receiving end of technology; we want to be an active builder of the technology,” he said.

The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Identity Management Commission, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, also stressed the importance of digital trust in facilitating trade and digital transformation across Africa.

She said secure digital identity, public key infrastructure and digital public infrastructure were critical to building an integrated digital economy.

The event also spotlighted the recently signed National Identity Management Commission Act 2026, which replaced the 2007 legislation and is expected to strengthen digital identity, interoperability, cybersecurity and data protection.

The GITEX Nigeria Tech Expo, scheduled to hold from September 2 to 3, is expected to feature more than 400 exhibiting companies and startups, thousands of visitors and over 200 investors managing assets worth about $200bn.

The Chief Executive Officer of GITEX, Trixie LohMirmand, said the event was designed to connect Nigerian and African innovators with global markets, knowledge, partnerships and investment opportunities.

She said, “Nigeria has the scale; Lagos has the ambition and energy. We aim to grow collectively and put Africa at the top – not just as a consumer of AI, but as a globally competitive producer.”