Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
GITEX NIGERIA 2026 has officially opened in Abuja, bringing together senior government officials, global technology leaders, investors and digital economy stakeholders to advance Nigeria’s ambition to become a major force in Africa’s emerging artificial intelligence economy.
The second edition of West Africa’s largest technology, AI and startup event opened Monday with a high-level inauguration ceremony, followed by the Government Leadership & AI Summit, held under the theme “Beyond Connectivity – The Bridge to Sovereign AI & Innovation.”
Held under the patronage of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the four-day event is taking place across Abuja and Lagos from August 31 to September 3.
The programme 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.
Nigeria targets digital sovereignty
Speaking at the opening, NITDA Director General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi said Nigeria was laying the foundations for digital sovereignty by investing in talent, infrastructure, connectivity and responsible artificial intelligence.
He pointed to government initiatives including DL4ALL, 3MTT and Project BRIDGE, which he said were helping expand Nigeria’s technical talent base and digital inclusion.
“Achieving true digital sovereignty means owning the capabilities, infrastructure, and intelligence that power our future,” Abdullahi said.
He added that Nigeria was developing the policy, cloud infrastructure and regulatory frameworks needed to host data locally, deploy AI responsibly and improve national productivity.
“GITEX NIGERIA positions our country as a global force shaping the international tech ecosystem, not just participating in it,” he said.
Lagos positions itself as an AI investment hub
The drive toward digital sovereignty is also creating investment opportunities at the state level, particularly in Lagos, where expanding connectivity, regulatory reforms and digital public services are opening new markets for technology companies and investors.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu identified computing infrastructure as one of the country’s major emerging opportunities.
He argued that although Africa has growing subsea cable capacity, much of the computing required to process the continent’s AI workloads remains located outside Africa.
According to Sanwo-Olu, bringing more computing capacity to the continent would address issues around latency, cost and data sovereignty while creating significant investment opportunities.
He pointed to Lagos’ electricity reforms, fibre infrastructure and data-centre developments as factors that could position the state as a major African computing hub.
Sanwo-Olu also highlighted the growing government technology market, as Lagos digitises procurement, revenue collection, permitting, healthcare records, transportation and land administration.
Government calls for shift from technology consumption to production
At the Abuja summit, Secretary to the Government of the Federation Senator George Akume said Nigeria must move beyond basic connectivity and build indigenous technological capacity.
Akume said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was working toward a $1 trillion economy, with technology expected to play a central role in achieving that ambition.
“This is our opportunity for decisive transition from being mere consumers of foreign technology to becoming global producers of talent, sovereign infrastructure, and inclusively designed AI — built by Nigeria, for Nigeria,” he said.
He described GITEX NIGERIA as a platform where government policy and private-sector execution can converge to accelerate the country’s digital transformation.
Summit focuses on infrastructure, investment and AI
More than 500 public- and private-sector leaders and investors from Africa and other parts of the world attended the Abuja Government Leadership & AI Summit.
More than 25 international experts also participated in discussions examining how African countries can turn growing digital ambitions into trusted infrastructure, scalable innovation and sustainable economic value.
Key discussions focused on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital public infrastructure, data sovereignty, connectivity, investment and strategic partnerships.
Sessions including “Backbone Infrastructure & Last-Mile Connectivity: Cables, Satellites & Blended Finance” examined ways to make digital infrastructure investment commercially viable, while “Getting Private Capital to Move into Digital Infrastructure” focused on the risks, governance challenges and financing structures that continue to limit investment across Africa.
Another session, “An African Opportunity: The Turning Point of eGov & Digital Interoperability,” explored opportunities created by the expansion of digital identity, payments and data-exchange systems across African governments.
GITEX moves to Lagos
Following the Abuja government and policy programme, GITEX NIGERIA will move to Lagos on September 2–3 for its Tech Expo, alongside the Future Economy Conference and FDX by GITEX.
The Lagos programme is expected to connect Nigerian and African startups with international investors, technology companies and potential business partners.
More than 200 investors from 30 countries, collectively managing about US$200 billion in assets, are expected to participate.
Among the international investment firms joining the programme are France’s Askya Investment Partners, Belgium’s Incofin Investment, Kenya- and Netherlands-based Triple Jump, UK-based Lightrock, UAE-based Global Ventures and US-based Innovest Afrika.
The event is also highlighting early evidence of its potential to connect startups with capital.
At the inaugural GITEX NIGERIA in 2025, venture studio FirstFounders engaged with 18 startups. Three companies LabTracka, Vant and GraceAI subsequently entered deeper discussions with the firm.
Vant, an AI-powered business banking and management platform, later joined the FirstFounders portfolio through a US$200,000 investment, alongside operational support.
The development illustrates the organisers’ ambition to make GITEX NIGERIA not just a technology showcase, but a platform that connects African startups with global capital, partnerships and international markets.
With its Abuja programme focused on policy, infrastructure and sovereign AI, and its Lagos programme centred on startups, investment and commercial opportunities, GITEX NIGERIA 2026 is positioning Nigeria at the centre of Africa’s accelerating technology and AI transformation.
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