Nigeria is cementing its position at the forefront of West Africa’s sovereign AI agenda, anchored by its National AI Strategy, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Framework, and Project BRIDGE.
As regional nations advance technological independence and solidify foundations for secure, connected, and digitally sovereign economies, West Africa is positioning itself as a globally competitive producer of AI solutions, talent, and innovation.
Accelerating this momentum, GITEX NIGERIA, West Africa’s largest tech, AI and startup event, will host the GITEX NIGERIA Government Leadership & AI Summit in Abuja next week on 31 August.
This high-level gathering will convene regional stakeholders to enhance institutional capacity, scale AI deployment, and embed effective governance and trusted infrastructure across West Africa’s burgeoning digital ecosystem – welcoming global speakers and government leaders from Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, France, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and the USA.
Held under the patronage of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, GITEX NIGERIA takes place across Abuja and Lagos from 31 August–3 September 2026. Supported by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the event is endorsed by the Lagos State Government and organised by KAOUN International, the global organiser of GITEX events.
As Nigeria champions digital public infrastructure implementation, the GITEX NIGERIA Government Leadership & AI Summit translates national digital ambitions into coordinated action.
Aligned with Nigeria’s ambitions and those of neighbouring countries, the summit convenes African ministries, development finance institutions, investors, hyperscalers, and digital economy leaders to strengthen regional cooperation on the policies, partnerships, and investments needed for West Africa to architect its own sovereign AI future.
From national digitalisation strategies, sovereign AI compute capacity, and private capital mobilisation to last-mile connectivity, digital talent development, and delivery of digital public infrastructure (DPI), the GITEX NIGERIA Government Leadership & AI Summit will shape the decisions, investments, and partnerships that define West Africa’s future economic competitiveness and AI sovereignty.
Distinguished speakers include Mactar Seck, Chief and Head of the Innovation and Technology Section, UNECA, Ethiopia; Dr Kashifu I. Abdullahi, CCIE, Director-General/CEO, NITDA, Nigeria; Mr Marc-André Loko, Managing Director and CEO, Agence des Systèmes d’Information et du Numérique (ASIN), Benin; and Kolawole Owodunni, Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority.
Uyoyo Edosio, Chief ICT and Innovation Expert at the Africa Development Bank (AfDB), Cote d,Ivoire, will headline a panel discussion on mobilising private capital for African digital infrastructure. Edosio said Africa’s AI ambitions mist be matched by the infrastructure and investment required to realise them: “Mobilising private capital at scale means creating the conditions for investors to participate with confidence – strengthening governance, addressing risk, and building effective projects and partnerships between governments, development institutions, and industry.
The GITEX NIGERIA Government Leadership & AI Summit is an important opportunity to advance this mandate and accelerate investment into the digital foundations that will underpin Africa’s long-term competitiveness.”
Commenting on the significance of the Abuja summit and its implications for the region, Mactar Seck stated: “Africa’s digital future must be built around ownership – of our infrastructure, our data, our capabilities, and the economic value they create.
Moving from technology consumption to production therefore requires coordinated policy, trusted digital public infrastructure, stronger connectivity, and an environment where African innovation can mature, flourish, and ultimately scale across borders.
Aligned with the ambitions of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, GITEX NIGERIA provides a timely platform to advance these imperatives by deepening regional cooperation and accelerating Africa’s emergence as a competitive, innovative, and increasingly sovereign digital economy.”
Headline sessions include ‘Africa's AI Compute Capacity – Sovereign or Shared?’ Recognising compute capacity as a key pillar of digital growth, panellists will examine the strategic choice between sovereign GPU capacity and reliance on shared infrastructure, focusing on what is required to close the continent’s compute gap.
Another is ‘Trust by Design: The Future of Africa’s Digital Identity Infrastructure’, which will explore how Africa can build trusted digital identity systems that protect citizens’ data while enabling greater participation in the digital economy.
Drawing on advanced West African deployments, it will examine privacy-by-design, responsible data governance, and citizen-centred approaches that could establish a global benchmark for secure digital identity infrastructure.
Industry leaders will also converge for ‘An African Opportunity: The Turning Point of eGov & Digital Interoperability’, analysing Africa’s accelerating digital government transformation and the immediate opportunities emerging for technology providers, investors, and financial institutions as countries scale digital identity, payment, and data-exchange infrastructure.
Representatives from HCLSoftware, World Bank, Gates Foundation, Meta, Mastercard, Zipline, and the National Information Technology Development Agency, are also participating. These include Charles Cabouret, Associate Vice President, HCLSoftware, France; Kari Tukur, Vice President, Core Payments - West Africa Mastercard, Nigeria; and Anthonio Pinheiro, Country Director at Zipline.
