Sanwo-Olu: Lagos Set To Emerge As Africa’s Innovation Capital

Sanwo-Olu: Lagos Set To Emerge As Africa’s Innovation Capital

By Our Reporter

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, has declared that the state is strategically positioning itself to be recognised not only as Nigeria’s commercial capital, but also as Africa’s Innovation Capital.

Governor Sanwo-Olu stated this on Wednesday at the GITEX Nigeria Official Tour, themed: "Beyond Connectivity: The Bridge to Sovereign AI & Innovation," held at Landmark Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, noting that the ambition would not be a mere declaration, but would have to be earned through sustained investment in infrastructure, talent development, progressive policies, and effective execution.

The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, noted that the evidence of Lagos’ growing innovation and economic strength was already compelling, and that the state is currently the seventh-largest economy in Africa, larger than most countries on the continent.

"Our ambition is clear: we want Lagos recognised not only as Nigeria’s commercial capital, but as Africa’s Innovation Capital. A position like that cannot be declared. It has to be earned — through infrastructure, talent, policy and execution.

“The future economy is not something Lagos is waiting to join. It is something Lagos has already started building. We have produced unicorns in fintech, logistics and e-commerce—companies that began as ideas in Yaba and now serve millions across multiple markets. Our ambition is clear: we want Lagos recognised not only as Nigeria’s commercial capital, but as Africa’s Innovation Capital," he said.

Governor Sanwo-Olu stated that AI would fundamentally change how people work, learn, create, govern and do business, but quickly noted that Africa cannot approach this transformation as a consumer of technologies built elsewhere, but must become builders and owners.

"But Africa cannot approach this transformation as a consumer of technologies built elsewhere. We must become builders. We must become owners. That means talent—but it also means computers, data infrastructure, research institutions, and commercial models that keep value on this continent instead of exporting it,” he said.

Highlighting some of the achievements of his administration in key areas, Sanwo-Olu further noted that the state had strengthened the foundation for its digital economy, revealing that about 3,000 kilometres of fibre-optic infrastructure had been laid between 2019 and 2025 as part of efforts to achieve a 6,000-kilometre unified network.

Accordingly, the governor, while acknowledging electricity as a major constraint to productivity, said Lagos had taken legal, regulatory and commercial steps to address the challenge, including targeting between 200 and 400 megawatts of state-procured electricity capacity.

He, therefore, urged investors and global technology companies to look beyond selling into Lagos and instead establish operations, engineering capacity, data centres and regional headquarters in the state.

"So to the investors here: bring us your capital and your confidence. Do not look at Lagos as a market of 20 million people. Look at Lagos as a launchpad into Africa. The opportunity is not in selling to Lagos. It is in building from Lagos, and exporting from Lagos," Sanwo-Olu said.

In his goodwill message, Secretary General, Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, Ghana, Wamkele Mene, reiterated that Nigeria is playing a leading role in advancing Africa’s digital economy through its participation in the development and implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) Protocol on Digital Trade, alongside Kenya and South Africa as co-champions of digital trade.

Mene added that Nigeria’s leadership in digital trade is underpinned by its growing technology and fintech ecosystem and a vibrant generation of entrepreneurs whose products and services are already reaching markets across Africa.

"With Nigeria’s growing pool of technology talent and innovative enterprises, the initiative is expected to help convert digital innovation into commercial value, strengthen regional supply chains and accelerate the emergence of a truly integrated African digital market," the Secretary General said.

Earlier in her welcome address, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Gitex Global, Trixie Lohmirmand, stated that Gitex seeks to connect Nigeria to the world and bring the world into Nigeria, adding that Nigeria had moved from policy to implementation.

Lohmirmand noted that with over $80 billion in commitments to technology, the task before Gitex is to convert this momentum into tangible opportunities, sustainable businesses and measurable economic impact in Africa, especially Nigeria.

She recalled that Gitex has seen a strong Nigerian delegation in the past years, noting that the participation of Nigerians provided a valuable bridge for Nigerian young people to interact and network with some of the world's leading investment funds, technology executives and companies.

Also in her goodwill message, Director- General, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Nigeria, Dr. Abisoye Coker- Odusote noted that the Federal Government identified digital trust as critical to building a secure, interconnected African digital economy and accelerating Nigeria’s ambition of becoming a $1 trillion economy.

The Director-General, therefore, stressed the need to develop local expertise in cryptography, cybersecurity and resilient digital infrastructure, while preparing for emerging challenges from artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

“It called for an African digital trust framework, expanded capacity-building programmes and practical cross-border digital use cases to transform the continent’s digital ambitions into concrete economic opportunities,” he concluded.

Also speaking, the Director-General and CEO, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in Nigeria. Mr. Kashifu Abdullahi, said Nigeria’s growing pool of young talents must be supported with the right skills, infrastructure and enabling environment to develop innovative solutions to the country’s real-world challenges.