Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has pledged the full support of his administration for the successful hosting of GITEX Nigeria 2025, the maiden edition of the global technology and innovation fair coming to Nigeria in September.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by a high-powered delegation led by the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, alongside the President and Vice President of the Dubai World Trade Centre, Governor Sanwo-Olu described Lagos as “Nigeria’s digital heartbeat.” He assured that the state government would provide all necessary backing to make the event a world-class experience for both local and international participants.
The Governor’s endorsement comes as preparations intensify for GITEX Nigeria 2025, scheduled to take place from September 1–4 in Lagos and Abuja. The Lagos edition will host the Global Future Economy Summit, Startup Festival, and a proposed Lagos Innovation Day, while Abuja will host the AI Leadership Summit, featuring a presidential roundtable on digital transformation.
Briefing the Governor, NITDA DG Inuwa said the event is expected to attract over 15,000 participants, including 3,000 international delegates, delivering significant economic and social impact for Nigeria. He noted that GITEX Nigeria aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on economic diversification through industrialisation, digitisation, manufacturing, innovation, and the creative economy. It also reflects NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2.0), which seeks to drive digital transformation through global partnerships and inclusive growth.
Governor Sanwo-Olu’s backing also marked the symbolic handover of Lagos’s hosting mandate, fulfilling a challenge he issued in 2023 for Nigeria to bring GITEX to its shores. He praised NITDA and the Dubai World Trade Centre for their collaboration and expressed confidence that the event would inspire innovation and reinforce Nigeria’s role in Africa’s digital transformation.
It will be recalled that on May 30, 2024, the Federal Government, through NITDA, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at GITEX Africa in Marrakesh, Morocco, to host GITEX for the first time in Nigeria.
With its debut in the country, GITEX Nigeria 2025 is set to be a landmark platform for startups, innovators, and investors, while showcasing Nigeria’s readiness to lead Africa’s digital future.
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