After years of showcasing its talent at GITEX Dubai and other global arenas, Nigeria has brought the world home: GITEX Nigeria has officially launched.
This isn’t just another event, it’s a statement that Africa’s largest economy is ready to move from participant to pacesetter in the digital age.
At the Lagos session, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu revealed that the state has attracted $6 billion in foreign investment into its tech ecosystem between 2019 and 2024.
“We’re not just an economic powerhouse, we are Africa’s innovation capital,” he declared.
From hyperscale data centres and fibre grids to a unified digital payment card designed by young Lagosians, the state is proving that its digital transformation isn’t theory, it’s practice.
Minister of Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, reinforced this momentum, noting that ICT already contributes up to 18% of GDP and is projected to reach 21% by 2027.
“Nigeria is not just a market. We are a major innovation and creative country,” he said.
He pointed to Nollywood and Afrobeats as proof that culture and code are powering an economy that the world can no longer ignore.
For NITDA DG Kashifu Inuwa, the story is even bigger: “Of the nine unicorns in Africa, five originated from Nigeria. We don’t build with infrastructure, we build with resilience.”
More so, international partners echoed this sentiment. Trixie LohMirmand, EVP of Dubai World Trade Centre, praised Nigeria’s ingenuity:
“While other economies innovate because they want to, here, startups innovate because they must. And that is why they scale faster and endure longer.”
With over 650 startups, 200 investors, and 40 countries represented, GITEX Nigeria isn’t just a debut, it’s a declaration of intent.
