Tech enterprises, government policymakers, investors, and start-ups converged in Lagos to accelerate West Africa’s ascent in the global intelligence economy, as the second edition of the GITEX NIGERIA opening 2 September 2026.Following Monday’s sell-out Government Leadership & AI Summit in Abuja, West Africa’s largest tech, AI, and start-up event transitioned to Nigeria’s financial and economic hub for two days of breakthrough innovation, product showcases, and strategic dialogue.Held under the patronage of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, 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, the global organiser of GITEX events, West Africa’s powerhouse tech and AI event opened in Lagos with a high-profile inauguration ceremony before the Tech Expo & Future Economy Conference.H.E. Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, Deputy Governor of Lagos State commended the state’s success in positioning Nigeria as a leading tech and start-up hub, 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. 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.”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 $15.3 billion and produced five unicorns, placing it ahead of 287 cities across 69 countries. Home to almost 1,000 active start-ups – around two-thirds of Nigeria’s nationwide ecosystem – Lagos is also Africa’s highest-ranked start-up hub and hosts 23 of the 28 Nigerian businesses featured in the Financial Times’ 2025 ranking of Africa’s fastest-growing companies.Highlighting the importance of building interoperable digital infrastructure that connects African innovation with commercial opportunities across the continent, H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General, African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, stated that “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, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), emphasised Nigeria’s ambition to empower homegrown innovation, advance digital sovereignty, and become an active builder of technology. “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.”GITEX Nigeria’s inauguration also highlighted President Tinubu’s signing of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026 in June, replacing 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.Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, Director-General and CEO of the National Identity Management Commission, stressed the indispensable value of digital trust. “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.”
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