Excitement reached new heights as Lagos hosted GITEX Nigeria 2025, a four-day convergence of innovators, policymakers, investors, and startups shaping Africa’s digital future.
Speaking on day one, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu described Lagos as “a launchpad for Africa’s tomorrow”, underscoring the state’s determination to lead Nigeria into a data-driven era where governance, business, and society are powered by technology. The governor stressed that Lagos is not only Nigeria’s commercial capital but also its innovation hub, positioning itself as the heart of Africa’s digital transformation.
The event, held under the patronage of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, is jointly supported by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the Lagos State Government, with global production led by KAOUN International.
Over two dynamic days in Lagos, the GITEX Tech Expo & Future Economy Conference at Eko Hotel and the Startup Festival at Landmark Centre spotlighted both Nigeria’s fast-rising startup scene and the role of enterprise digitalisation in transforming agriculture, health, education, and financial services.
Minister Bosun Tijani reinforced the importance of Nigeria’s digital economy strategy, insisting that technology must “reduce inequality, create shared prosperity, and fuel productivity across entire sectors—not just serve elites.”
Lagos’s credentials as Africa’s tech capital were clear: between 2019 and 2024, the state attracted over $6 billion in foreign tech investment, hosts 70% of Nigeria’s total tech inflows, and remains home to 23 of the nation’s 28 fastest-growing companies, according to the Financial Times.
NITDA Director-General Kashifu Abdullahi praised the resilience that has fuelled Lagos’s innovation ecosystem: “Elsewhere, capital drives solutions; here, resilience does. Lagos is a crucible of talent and necessity-driven innovation—a factory of unicorns.”
International partners, including AWS, Cisco, IFC, and Kaspersky, joined government agencies and investors to support the summit. For Trixie LohMirmand, EVP of Dubai World Trade Centre and CEO of KAOUN International, Lagos represents a unique proving ground: “If your solution can thrive here—amidst power gaps, currency shifts, and infrastructure challenges—it can thrive anywhere in the world.”
As West Africa’s largest digital economy showcase, GITEX Nigeria 2025 reaffirmed Lagos’s role as Africa’s gateway to innovation, investment, and inclusive digital growth.
