GITEX Nigeria 2026, West Africa’s technology, artificial intelligence and startup event, on Monday opened in Abuja with government officials and global technology leaders highlighting the need for digital sovereignty and indigenous innovation.
The second edition of the event, held under the patronage of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, brings together government officials, investors, technology companies, startups and other digital economy stakeholders from Nigeria, Africa and beyond.
The opening featured an inauguration ceremony and the Government Leadership and AI Summit, which focused on digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data sovereignty, connectivity, investment and digital public services.
Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said Nigeria was laying the foundation for digital sovereignty and technology-led economic growth.
Abdullahi said initiatives such as Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL), the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme and Project BRIDGE were helping to expand Nigeria’s technical talent pool and digital infrastructure.
“Achieving true digital sovereignty means owning the capabilities, infrastructure, and intelligence that power our future,” he said.
He said the Federal Government was also developing the policy, cloud infrastructure and regulatory frameworks required 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.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State said the state was positioning itself as an investment destination for computing infrastructure and digital public services.
Sanwo-Olu said international investors had traditionally viewed Nigeria largely through the consumer fintech market, but argued that computing infrastructure represented a major emerging opportunity.
He said Lagos’ subsea cable capacity, electricity reforms, fibre infrastructure and data-centre developments could help address the high cost, latency and data sovereignty challenges associated with processing African AI workloads outside the continent.
The governor also identified digital government services as another significant investment opportunity, citing the digitisation of procurement, revenue collection, permitting, health records, transportation and land administration.
He said the developments were creating a recurring enterprise software market for technology providers.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, said Nigeria must move beyond basic connectivity towards indigenous innovation and digital sovereignty.
Akume said the administration of President Tinubu was working towards a $1 trillion economy and that technology would be central to achieving the objective.
“GITEX NIGERIA provides the strategic platform where government vision aligns with private sector execution,” he said.
He said Nigeria had an opportunity to move from being a consumer of foreign technology to becoming a producer of talent, sovereign infrastructure and inclusive AI solutions.
“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.
“We are leading a new era for Africa,” Akume said.
The Government Leadership and AI Summit, held under the theme, “Beyond Connectivity – The Bridge to Sovereign AI and Innovation”, attracted 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 on digital public infrastructure, AI, cybersecurity, data sovereignty, connectivity, investment and strategic partnerships.
Sessions examined the policies, infrastructure and financing models needed to accelerate Africa’s digital transformation.
One of the sessions, “Backbone Infrastructure & Last-Mile Connectivity: Cables, Satellites & Blended Finance”, explored the role of cables, towers, satellites, edge infrastructure and blended finance in expanding connectivity across Africa.
Another session, “Getting Private Capital to Move into Digital Infrastructure”, examined the risks, governance and deal-structure challenges limiting commercial investment in digital infrastructure across West Africa.
Industry leaders also discussed digital government transformation and interoperability, with focus on opportunities emerging from the expansion of digital identity, payment and data-exchange infrastructure.
GITEX Nigeria 2026 will move to Lagos from Sept. 2 to Sept. 3 for the Tech Expo, alongside the Future Economy Conference and FDX by GITEX.
The Lagos programme is expected to provide startups and entrepreneurs with opportunities to connect with investors, technology companies and international markets.
The organisers said more than 200 investors from 30 countries, collectively managing about $200 billion in assets, would participate in the programme.
They said international investment firms from France, Belgium, Kenya, the Netherlands, the UK, the UAE and the United States were among those joining the 2026 programme.
The organisers also cited the experience of the inaugural 2025 edition, where venture studio FirstFounders connected with 18 startups.
According to them, three of the startups — LabTracka, Vant and GraceAI — subsequently entered deeper discussions with FirstFounders.
Vant, an AI-powered business banking and management platform, later joined the FirstFounders portfolio through an investment valued at $200,000.
GITEX Nigeria 2026 is being supported by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy in collaboration with NITDA, while the Lagos State Government has endorsed the event.
The event is organised by KAOUN International, organiser of GITEX events globally.
