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Nigeria is stepping up efforts to build indigenous artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and digital infrastructure as the government seeks to support its ambition of developing a $1 trillion economy.
The push is centred on moving Nigeria beyond dependence on imported technology towards developing local talent, infrastructure and AI solutions capable of serving domestic needs and competing in global markets.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, said Nigeria must move beyond basic digital connectivity and establish stronger indigenous innovation capacity and digital sovereignty.
Akume spoke on Monday at the opening of GITEX NIGERIA 2026 in Abuja, where government officials, technology companies, investors and other digital economy stakeholders gathered for the Government Leadership & AI Summit.
“Under the vision of His Excellency President Bola Tinubu and the Renewed Hope Agenda, Nigeria is boldly driving toward a $1tn economy,” Akume said.
He said achieving the target would require the country to strengthen its ability to develop and control the technologies underpinning its digital economy.
“To achieve economic transformation, we must now move far beyond basic connectivity to build true indigenous innovation and digital sovereignty,” he said.
Government pushes digital sovereignty
According to Akume, GITEX NIGERIA provides an avenue for the public and private sectors to coordinate efforts around technology-driven economic development.
He identified domestic technical talent, sovereign digital infrastructure and inclusive AI systems as critical components of Nigeria’s technology strategy.
“We must 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,” Akume said.
The emphasis reflects a broader policy push to ensure that Nigeria captures more of the economic value generated by its expanding digital economy rather than relying primarily on foreign technology providers and infrastructure.
Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Abdullahi, said the country was already developing some of the building blocks required to achieve greater digital sovereignty.
These include investments in technical skills, connectivity, cloud infrastructure and regulatory frameworks designed to support the digital economy.
Abdullahi pointed to initiatives such as Digital Literacy for All, the 3 Million Technical Talent programme and Project BRIDGE as part of efforts to expand Nigeria’s technology talent pool and strengthen digital infrastructure.
“Achieving true digital sovereignty means owning the capabilities, infrastructure, and intelligence that power our future,” he said.
He added that the government was also working on policy, cloud and regulatory frameworks that would facilitate local data hosting and responsible AI deployment.
“GITEX NIGERIA positions our country as a global force shaping the international tech ecosystem, not just participating in it,” Abdullahi said.
Nigeria eyes domestic AI infrastructure
The drive for stronger domestic AI capacity comes as African economies increasingly examine how to retain greater control over the data, computing infrastructure and technology systems supporting their digital transformation.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said Africa’s reliance on overseas computing infrastructure represents both a strategic challenge and a significant investment opportunity.
“Most international capital looks at Nigeria and sees consumer fintech. That was the last decade’s trade,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He argued that computing infrastructure should become a larger investment priority, particularly given Nigeria’s extensive subsea cable connectivity.
According to the governor, Lagos has significant access to international subsea cable capacity but lacks comparable computing infrastructure to process the growing volume of data and AI workloads generated across the continent.
“Africa’s AI workloads are currently being processed in Europe,” Sanwo-Olu said, describing the dependence as a problem of latency, cost and data sovereignty, while also highlighting the commercial opportunity for investors in Nigeria.
Developing local computing capacity could therefore complement existing connectivity investments while creating new opportunities across cloud services, AI development, data centres and other digital infrastructure segments.
Digital public services offer new opportunities
Sanwo-Olu also identified the digitisation of government services as an emerging market for technology companies.
Areas such as public procurement, revenue collection, permits, healthcare records, transportation and land administration could benefit from greater deployment of digital technologies.
The expansion of these systems could create demand for locally developed technology while improving the efficiency and accessibility of public services.
For Nigeria, the combination of digital infrastructure, local technical talent and government technology adoption could provide a broader foundation for the digital economy and contribute to the country’s long-term economic transformation.
GITEX NIGERIA connects investors and technology ecosystem
GITEX NIGERIA 2026, held under the patronage of President Bola Tinubu, runs from August 31 to September 3 across Abuja and Lagos.
The Abuja opening brought together more than 500 public- and private-sector leaders and investors for discussions covering AI, digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, data sovereignty, connectivity and investment.
The Lagos programme, scheduled for September 2 and 3, will feature the Tech Expo, Future Economy Conference and FDX by GITEX, providing a platform for startups to engage international investors and technology companies.
More than 200 investors from 30 countries, collectively managing approximately $200 billion in assets, are expected to participate in the Lagos programme.
As Nigeria pursues its $1tn economic target, the government’s digital strategy is increasingly focused not only on expanding access to technology but also on building the domestic capabilities needed to develop, deploy and export it.
Strengthening indigenous AI capacity, local talent and sovereign digital infrastructure could therefore become an important part of Nigeria’s efforts to create new growth engines and reduce dependence on foreign technology.
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