Dubai// Kashifu Inuwa, Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has told industry leaders in global technology landscape, as well as investors and venture capitalists in information technology that Nigeria is a potential market awaiting value investors to explore.
While many investors see Nigeria as a high risk market for startups and entrepreneurs in the technology landscape, Inuwa insists that now is the time for investors to hunt for higher returns in Africa’s largest economy which has vibrant youths in the technology and startup ecosystem.
He spoke alongside other representatives in public and private sector from Nigeria during a breakfast session in Dubai, UAE which was leveraged to showcase the benefits of forthcoming GITEX Nigeria in September 2025.
“In Nigeria, we have one of the most vibrant ecosystems in Africa. Today, Lagos ecosystem alone is valued more than $11 billion. What GITEX is bringing to Nigeria is that network effect. We are doing well as a country, we are doing well in Africa, but that is not enough because we can do well in the world.
“GITEX is coming to Nigeria to orchestrate our global presence. GITEX has GITEX GLOBAL in Dubai, GITEX AFRICA in Morocco, GITEX EUROPE in Berlin, GITEX ASIA, Singapore and GITEX NIGERIA,” Inuwa told BusinessDay.
“So, it will expose those global ecosystem to the Nigerian market, while it also gives the Nigerian ecosystem the opportunity to showcase the Nigerian talents to the world – in Europe, Asia and Middle East. Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation,” he added.
Speaking further, he said “innovation can be brought back home or taken to the global space.”
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“If you are looking for a place where you can make both social and economic impact, it’s Nigeria. Because as investor in tech, tech is about two things – the talents and the technology. Because technology makes our lives better but people make the technology better. So, you really need access to talent and Nigeria we have one of the youngest populations in the world and we have a large and expanded market in Nigeria,” Inuwa said.
Speaking further, he said innovation “is about taking an idea from inception to impact by challenging the status quo and conventional wisdom and bringing something new from either vertical industry from other countries to your environment.
‘If you really want to excel in terms of innovation, you need to open up your market and also you need to go out and learn from what is happening in other places,” he added.
Investors, world’s largest technology enterprises alongside governments, experts, startups, academia, and researchers are currently at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) for the 44th edition of the world’s largest tech and startup event, GITEX GLOBAL.
Ahead of GITEX GLOBAL event in Dubai, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) called for Africa’s participation in global Artificial Intelligence (AI) regulation. The information technology development agency believes that AI is not just another technology; it is a paradigm shift that promises to reshape every aspect of our lives.
NITDA Director General had also stressed the importance of Africa asserting its place in this evolving landscape, noting that participation in global AI governance is essential for ensuring that the technology serves all of humanity and not just a privileged few in more advanced nations.
The International Monetary Fund recently described AI as a “technological revolution that could jumpstart productivity, boost global growth, and raise incomes around the world.”
According to PWC’s Global Artificial Intelligence Study: ‘Exploiting the AI Revolution,’ AI could contribute up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy in 2030, more than the current output of China and India combined.
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