Nigeria pushes for sovereign AI, as GITEX summit targets West Africa’s digital independence
Nigeria is stepping up its push to establish itself as a leading hub for artificial intelligence (AI) in Africa, as government leaders, investors, technology companies and digital economy stakeholders converge in Abuja for the GITEX NIGERIA Government Leadership & AI Summit on August 31.
The summit is expected to focus on how West African countries can strengthen their digital independence by developing home-grown AI capabilities, digital public infrastructure, computing capacity and the policy frameworks required to support a competitive digital economy.
GITEX NIGERIA, which runs from August 31 to September 3 across Abuja and Lagos, is being held under the patronage of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) supporting the event.
The Abuja summit will bring together government leaders and stakeholders from across Africa, alongside development finance institutions, investors, global technology companies and digital economy experts.
The discussions come as Nigeria seeks to move beyond being a major consumer of digital technologies to becoming a producer and exporter of technology and AI solutions. The country’s National AI Strategy, Digital Public Infrastructure Framework and Project BRIDGE are among the initiatives underpinning that ambition.
The summit’s focus on sovereign AI reflects a broader push across Africa for greater control over the infrastructure, data, computing resources and technologies needed to develop and deploy artificial intelligence.
According to the organisers, the meeting will examine the policies, partnerships and investments required to strengthen West Africa’s digital ecosystem, with discussions expected to cover sovereign AI computing capacity, digital public infrastructure, last-mile connectivity, digital skills and private capital mobilisation.
One of the key sessions will examine Africa’s AI compute capacity and whether countries should develop sovereign computing infrastructure or rely on shared facilities.
The issue is critical to Africa’s AI ambitions because access to computing power is necessary for developing, training and deploying advanced AI systems. The summit is therefore expected to explore how African countries can close existing infrastructure gaps while ensuring that the economic value generated by AI is retained within the continent.
Another major discussion will focus on digital identity infrastructure, with stakeholders expected to examine how countries can build secure and trusted digital identity systems while protecting citizens’ data.
The summit will also examine the expansion of digital government and interoperability, particularly the infrastructure required to connect digital identity, payment and data-exchange systems across African economies.
Among those expected to participate are representatives from Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, France, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and the United States.
Speakers include Mactar Seck, Chief and Head of the Innovation and Technology Section at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa; Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General of NITDA; Marc-André Loko, Managing Director and CEO of Benin’s Agence des Systèmes d’Information et du Numérique; and Kolawole Owodunni, Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority.
Uyoyo Edosio, Chief ICT and Innovation Expert at the African Development Bank, is also expected to lead discussions on mobilising private capital for digital infrastructure.
She said Africa’s AI ambitions would need to be matched by the infrastructure and investment required to realise them, particularly through stronger governance, risk management and partnerships between governments, development institutions and industry.
The summit is expected to provide a platform for African governments and private-sector players to discuss how investment can be channelled into the digital infrastructure needed to support AI adoption and regional economic growth.
GITEX NIGERIA’s 2026 edition is themed “Beyond Connectivity: The Bridge to Sovereign AI and Innovation”, reinforcing the event’s focus on moving Nigeria and the wider region from digital connectivity towards technological self-reliance and innovation.
The Abuja Government Leadership & AI Summit will open the three-day GITEX NIGERIA programme on August 31 before the event moves to Lagos for the Tech Expo, Future Economy Conference and Startup Festival from September 2 to 3.