Lagos has taken centre stage in Africa’s emerging digital economy as the second edition of GITEX NIGERIA 2026 opened in the state, bringing together technology companies, policymakers, investors and startups to accelerate innovation and digital transformation across West Africa.
The two-day Tech Expo and Future Economy Conference, which began on Wednesday, September 2, followed the Government Leadership & AI Summit held in Abuja and is designed to strengthen Nigeria’s position as a major hub for technology, artificial intelligence and startup development.
Held under the patronage of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GITEX NIGERIA is supported by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), endorsed by the Lagos State Government and organised by KAOUN International, global organiser of GITEX events.
Speaking at the inauguration, Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, said the state’s growing technology ecosystem had made it a natural destination for conversations about Africa’s digital future.
“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 said.
He said Lagos was determined to be recognised not only as Nigeria’s commercial capital but also as Africa’s innovation capital, stressing that such a position must be earned through infrastructure, talent, sound policies and effective execution.
Lagos has emerged as one of Africa’s leading technology ecosystems, with almost 1,000 active startups and a significant concentration of Nigeria’s technology companies. The state has also recorded substantial growth in technology enterprise value and produced several unicorns.
The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, used the platform to call for deliberate efforts to make Nigeria an active creator and builder of technology rather than a passive consumer of imported digital solutions.
Abdullahi said Nigeria must create an enabling environment for its young and talented population to develop innovative solutions to the country’s real-world challenges.
“As a nation, we need to be intentional if we want to be an active participant in this economy,” he said.
He identified data sovereignty, cloud sovereignty, operational sovereignty and AI sovereignty as critical areas in Nigeria’s drive towards digital independence.
“We don’t want to be at the receiving end of technology; we want to be an active builder of the technology,” the NITDA DG said.
His position reinforced the broader focus of GITEX NIGERIA 2026 on developing homegrown technologies, strengthening Nigeria’s digital ecosystem and ensuring that African innovators can compete effectively in the global technology economy.
Also speaking at the event, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, called for greater African ownership of digital infrastructure and technology.
Mene said the continent had the talent, innovation and technical expertise required to shape its own digital transformation in a way that supports African integration and development.
He urged African countries to build interoperable digital infrastructure capable of connecting innovation with commercial opportunities across borders.
According to him, Africa must move towards a single digital continental market where African businesses can operate, transact and expand across borders, converting digital innovation into commercially meaningful trade.
The inauguration also highlighted Nigeria’s evolving digital identity architecture following President Tinubu’s signing of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026 in June.
The new law replaced the 2007 legislation and provided a modern framework aimed at strengthening digital identity management, interoperability, data protection and cybersecurity.
Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, stressed the importance of digital trust in enabling seamless digital transactions and cross-border commerce.
She said digital identity, public key infrastructure and digital public infrastructure were interconnected components of a trusted digital ecosystem.
“Connection without trust breeds vulnerability,” Coker-Odusote said, noting that secure digital identity and authentication would be critical to enabling seamless contracts, credential verification and payments across jurisdictions.
The Lagos edition of GITEX NIGERIA 2026 features more than 400 exhibiting companies and startups showcasing emerging technologies and solutions aimed at transforming different sectors of the economy.
The event is also attracting thousands of visitors and more than 200 investors managing about $200 billion in assets, providing Nigerian and African startups with opportunities to connect with international investors, technology partners and global markets.
GITEX CEO, Trixie LohMirmand, said the event was created to build connections that would enable Nigerian and African innovators to take their technologies and ideas to the global market.
She said Nigeria had the scale, while Lagos possessed the ambition and energy required to drive Africa’s technology revolution.
LohMirmand added that the objective was to ensure Africa became a globally competitive producer of AI and emerging technologies rather than remaining primarily a consumer.
With government, industry, investors and innovators converging in Lagos, GITEX NIGERIA 2026 is positioning the city as a critical platform for shaping the continent’s technology-driven future and accelerating Nigeria’s ambition for digital sovereignty.
