GITEX Nigeria 2026, a major technology and startup gathering, opened in Abuja on Monday with government officials, technology leaders, investors and other stakeholders focusing on the development of sovereign artificial intelligence (AI), digital infrastructure and technology-led economic growth in Nigeria and West Africa.
The second edition of the event, which began with the Government Leadership & AI Summit in Abuja, is being held from August 31 to September 3 across Abuja and Lagos.
The event is being organised under the patronage of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and supported by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). It is endorsed by the Lagos State Government and organised by KAOUN International.
Speaking at the inauguration, the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said Nigeria needed to build the capabilities, infrastructure and intelligence required to achieve digital sovereignty.
According to him, government initiatives including DL4ALL, 3MTT and Project BRIDGE were helping to expand the country’s technical talent base and digital inclusion.
“Achieving true digital sovereignty means owning the capabilities, infrastructure, and intelligence that power our future,” he said.
Abdullahi added that the government was developing the policy, cloud infrastructure and regulatory frameworks required to host data locally, deploy AI responsibly and improve national productivity.
He said GITEX Nigeria had positioned the country to play a more active role in shaping the global technology ecosystem.
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said the state was seeking to attract investment into computing infrastructure and digital public services as technology adoption expanded.
Sanwo-Olu said Nigeria’s technology investment opportunities extended beyond consumer fintech, pointing to the potential of computing infrastructure, subsea connectivity and data centres.
According to him, Africa’s AI workloads are currently processed in Europe, creating challenges around latency, cost and data sovereignty.
He said Lagos, with its subsea cable capacity, fibre programme, electricity reforms and data-centre developments, was well positioned to support increased computing capacity on the continent.
The governor also identified digital public services as another major investment opportunity, noting that the digitisation of procurement, revenue collection, permitting, health records, transportation and land administration was creating a growing market for enterprise software.
Nigeria Targets Technology-led Economic Growth
The Abuja Government Leadership & AI Summit also highlighted the federal government’s ambition to use technology, indigenous innovation and digital sovereignty to support broader economic transformation.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, said Nigeria was pursuing a $1 trillion economy under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu.
Akume said achieving the objective would require the country to move beyond basic connectivity and develop indigenous technological capabilities.
He described GITEX Nigeria as a platform for bringing government policy and private-sector execution together, while stressing the need for Nigeria to transition from being primarily a consumer of foreign technology to becoming a producer of talent, infrastructure and AI solutions.
“We are leading a new era for Africa,” Akume said.
The summit, held under the theme “Beyond Connectivity – The Bridge to Sovereign AI & Innovation,” brought together more than 500 public- and private-sector leaders and investors from Nigeria, Africa and other parts of the world.
More than 25 international experts participated in discussions covering digital public infrastructure, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data sovereignty, connectivity, investment and strategic partnerships.
Sessions at the summit examined the policies, infrastructure and financing models needed to expand digital transformation across Africa.
One of the sessions, “Backbone Infrastructure & Last-Mile Connectivity: Cables, Satellites & Blended Finance,” considered the role of cables, towers, satellites, edge infrastructure and blended financing in addressing Africa’s connectivity challenges.
Another session, “Getting Private Capital to Move into Digital Infrastructure,” focused on the risks, governance structures and deal-making challenges affecting investment in digital infrastructure across West Africa.
Industry stakeholders also examined the growth of electronic government and digital interoperability, with discussions focusing on digital identity, payments and data-exchange infrastructure.
GITEX Nigeria Moves to Lagos
Following the Abuja summit, GITEX Nigeria will move to Lagos from September 2 to 3 for the Tech Expo, Future Economy Conference and FDX by GITEX.
The Lagos programme is expected to bring together entrepreneurs, startups, investors and technology companies, with emphasis on access to capital, partnerships and opportunities in international markets.
More than 200 investors from 30 countries, managing a combined $200 billion in assets, are expected to participate in the programme.
Among the international investment firms listed for the event are France’s Askya Investment Partners, Belgium’s Incofin Investment, Kenya- and Netherlands-based Triple Jump, the United Kingdom’s Lightrock, the United Arab Emirates-based Global Ventures and United States-based Innovest Afrika.
The organisers said the event had already generated investment opportunities for Nigerian startups.
At the inaugural GITEX Nigeria in 2025, venture studio FirstFounders reportedly connected with 18 startups, including LabTracka, Vant and GraceAI.
Vant, an AI-powered business banking and management platform, subsequently joined the FirstFounders portfolio following an investment valued at $200,000, combining funding with operational support.
GITEX Nigeria is expected to continue in Lagos through September 3, bringing together stakeholders across AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity, fintech, digital infrastructure and other emerging technologies.
