Lagos State is positioning itself to become not just Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre but Africa’s innovation capital, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said Wednesday, pointing to more than $80 billion in technology investment commitments already secured.
Sanwo-Olu, represented by his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, spoke at the GITEX Nigeria Official Tour in Victoria Island, themed “Beyond Connectivity: The Bridge to Sovereign AI & Innovation.” He said the ambition would require sustained investment in infrastructure, talent, and policy execution — not mere declaration — and cited Lagos’s status as Africa’s seventh-largest economy as evidence the state was already delivering.
“A position like that cannot be declared. It has to be earned — through infrastructure, talent, policy and execution,” the governor said, noting that Lagos-born fintech, logistics, and e-commerce startups had grown from Yaba ideas into companies serving millions across multiple markets.
On artificial intelligence, Sanwo-Olu warned Africa must move beyond simply consuming foreign-built technology and instead become an owner and builder of it — spanning talent, computing infrastructure, data systems, and research institutions that keep value on the continent.
The governor pointed to infrastructure gains under his administration, including roughly 3,000 kilometres of fibre-optic cable laid between 2019 and 2025, part of a push toward a 6,000-kilometre unified network. On power — which he called a major drag on productivity — Lagos has taken legal, regulatory, and commercial steps toward securing 200-400 megawatts of state-procured electricity capacity.
He urged global tech investors to go beyond selling into the Lagos market and instead set up engineering hubs, data centres, and regional headquarters in the state. “Do not look at Lagos as a market of 20 million people. Look at Lagos as a launchpad into Africa,” he said.
Other speakers echoed the momentum. AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene said Nigeria — alongside Kenya and South Africa — is co-championing the continent’s digital trade protocol, driven by its fintech ecosystem and entrepreneurial talent pool. GITEX Global CEO Trixie LohMirmand said the event’s task now was converting Nigeria’s $80 billion in commitments into tangible businesses and measurable economic impact.
NIMC Director-General Dr Abisoye Coker-Odusote called for an African digital trust framework, stressing the need for local expertise in cybersecurity and cryptography as the continent’s digital economy expands toward Nigeria’s $1 trillion economic ambition. NITDA’s Kashifu Abdullahi added that Nigeria’s young tech talent needs the right skills and infrastructure to solve local problems at scale.
READ ALSO:
- Tinubu Celebrates Governor Dauda Lawal On His Birthday, Lauds Zamfara Reforms
- Sanwo-Olu: Lagos Set to Become Africa’s Innovation Capital as $80bn Tech Commitments Roll In
- Ribadu Not Linked to Illegal Arms Importation — NCCSALW DG Kokumo
- Marwa Orders NDLEA to Hit Drug Cartels Where It Hurts
- OPay Denies Shutdown Rumours, Says DSS, Police Probing Viral Claim
