From the buzzing tech expo at Eko Hotel to the electric energy of the Startup Festival at Landmark, GITEX NIGERIA 2025 – West Africa’s largest tech, AI and startup event – brought together innovators, investors, creators, and changemakers from across Africa and beyond.
At the inaugural GITEX Nigeria 2025 ceremony held at the Eko Hotel in Lagos, here are some of the key voices that resonated:
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu: I attended the first GITEX about four years ago in Dubai, and next I was at the Marrakesh edition. But hey, if you’re not in Lagos, Nigeria, where else would you be? The rest is history now. But it just goes to show the power of a mind of possibility – we did not see challenges, we did not see all the reasons why we shouldn’t [host GITEX], we saw sheer resilience and opportunity. And I want to thank Trixie [Lohmirmand] very much for taking the risk with us. Today, as we explore the GITEX Nigeria Tech Expo and Future Economy Conference, we are doing more than just showcasing technology; we are building partnerships, sparking innovation, and laying the groundwork for Nigeria’s goal of becoming a $1 trillion economy by 2030.”
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Bosun Tijani (Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy): “Nollywood is the second largest film industry in the world, producing stories that travel across continents. Afrobeats, born on the streets of Lagos, now fills stadiums from London to New York. Our creative economy is projected to generate over $15 billion in value in the coming years — powered by young Nigerians who blend art, music, film, and technology in ways the world has never seen before.”
“The ICT sector, which I supervise, has become the fastest growing contributor to our GDP — rising from less than 5% a decade ago to consistently contributing 16–18% today. By 2027, my target is to see this sector contribute between 21% and 22% to Nigeria’s GDP.”
“Our strategic focus is very clear. We are connecting every corner of Nigeria through Project Bridge — a 90,000 km fiber backbone linking every state, local government, and ward. We are also building the largest and most coordinated digital skills program in the world through the 3MTT initiative, preparing our young people not just for Nigerian jobs but for global opportunities.”
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Iyinoluwa Aboyeji (Founding Partner, Future Africa | Managing Partner, Accelerate Africa): “The biggest opportunity that has built this ecosystem — and the biggest challenge it will continue to face — is talent, not capital. Capital is important, but talent is existential. If we lose that advantage, if we lose our talent to other countries because we are careless, we will never be able to continue. We cannot afford to graduate less than 4,000 STEM graduates while China is graduating 3.8 million. As a country of 200 million people, we cannot afford not to move with the urgency the moment requires, especially as Artificial Intelligence is transforming our entire world.”
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Trixie Lohmirmand (Executive Vice President, Dubai World Trade Centre | CEO, KAOUN International): Here [in Nigeria]. they don’t just adapt from existing infrastructure. They build a whole new infrastructure and industry altogether. And this is why Nigeria is a global leader in FinTech. In history books you’re going to read about it, and in playbooks of tech founders everywhere in the world, they refer to Nigeria. You create a whole new industry and infrastructure altogether! Importantly, this is not GITEX Nigeria joining the world. With GITEX, we are turning the attention of the world towards Nigeria”.
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Numeris Media’s “Voices of GITEX Nigeria 2025” came to life, thanks to our rookie Mobile Journalist, Oluwafisayo James, who made extraordinary manoeuvres to capture photos of the day, and record speeches so we could listen to them repeatedly to extract salient quotes.
‘Voices of GITEX Nigeria 2025’ is proudly powered by YesChilli whose founder, Elizabeth Nwaizu, is renowned for her range of hand-made sauces that meet the highest standards.
Numeris Media is Media Partner to GITEX Nigeria – West Africa’s largest tech and startup event