WorldStage — Nigeria’s the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani said that Lagos has become Africa’s undisputed centre of innovation and culture, driving Nigeria’s digital transformation and global competitiveness.
Tijani, who spoke at the opening ceremony of GITEX Nigeria Tech Expo and Future Economy Conference in Lagos, said the city attracts about 2,000 new residents daily and was home to the continent’s largest number of technology founders.
He said Lagos had produced between five and six unicorns, including startups solving African problems and competing with the best technology companies globally.
“Lagos is the place where code meets culture. It is not just about startups, but also Nollywood and Afrobeats which now fill stadiums from London to New York.
“Together, they are shaping global culture. Our creative economy alone is projected to generate over 15 billion dollars in the coming years,” Tijani said.
He explained that Nigeria’s technology ecosystem tells a bigger story of transformation, with the ICT sector growing from less than five per cent of GDP a decade ago to between 16 per cent and 18 per cent today.
“The target I have set is 21 per cent by 2027. Already, if you check our stock exchange, the top two companies are technology firms, not even oil. This shows that the digital economy is overtaking traditional industries,” Tijani added.
The minister said the digital economy was central to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which placed technology at the heart of inclusive growth, job creation and poverty reduction.
He noted that government was building Project Bridge, a 90,000-kilometre fibre backbone to connect every state and local government, alongside the 3MTT initiative, the largest digital skills programme in the world.
“We are not building for elites, we are building for every Nigerian, the farmer in Ogun, the trader in Aba, the student in Kano and the innovator in Yola. Our aim is to make sure no community is left out,” Tijani said.
According to him, the government is also investing in digital trust and security through a new governance bill, while supporting innovation via more than 55 academic research projects and a new scheme to fund 75 more from October.
He added that initiatives such as the AI Collective were enabling Nigerian companies to build real-world solutions with artificial intelligence, while the diaspora community was being engaged to bring back capital, expertise and networks.
Similarly, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr Kashifu Inuwa, said Lagos had become Africa’s tech capital after the government’s cashless policy in 2012 forced banks to digitalise and opened space for fintech solutions.
“Out of eight or nine unicorns in Africa, five originated from Nigeria. Lagos is the factory of unicorns.
“While other countries fuel innovation with infrastructure, here we fuel it with resilience because we have no choice but to create solutions,” Inuwa said.
He stressed that fintech was Nigeria’s rocket fuel, adding that opportunities were also opening in agriculture, health, security and other sectors.
“Our vision is clear and our resolve stronger than ever. We have proved that talent is evenly distributed when given the right opportunities, Nigerians can compete with any nation,” he said.
Both Tijani and Inuwa urged startups, corporates, academics, diaspora professionals and global partners to work with government in scaling solutions that could deliver economic and social impact for Nigeria and Africa.
