Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has mentioned Africa’s capacity to compete within the international financial system will rely upon how successfully it harnesses innovation, invests in infrastructure and promotes the inclusion of girls in science and know-how.
Mr Sanwo-Olu made the remarks on Tuesday on the fifth version of the Women in Technology and Engineering Summit and Awards (WITE) held on the MUSON Centre in Lagos.
Represented by the state’s Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Olatunbosun Alake, the governor mentioned Africa should actively form its future somewhat than watch for alternatives to emerge elsewhere.
The two-day summit, themed “Engineering Africa’s Future: Innovation, Infrastructure and Inclusive Technology,” introduced collectively policymakers, know-how leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators to focus on the way forward for know-how and ladies’s participation in STEM fields.
Organised by Womenovate, the occasion focuses on advancing girls’s management, innovation and participation throughout science, know-how, engineering and arithmetic (STEM) sectors.
Women’s management in know-how
Mr Sanwo-Olu described girls’s expertise as one in all Africa’s most underutilised sources, warning that their underrepresentation in STEM poses financial and growth challenges.
“This is not just a gender issue. It is an economic issue, a development issue and ultimately a competitiveness issue,” he mentioned.
He recommended Womenovate for creating alternatives that allow girls and ladies to thrive in know-how and engineering.
“Through your efforts, you are helping to build a future where talent, innovation and leadership are determined not by gender, but by vision, competence and impact,” he mentioned.
Drawing from developments in synthetic intelligence, the governor mirrored on variations in how main AI platforms generate responses and urged that range in management typically shapes innovation outcomes.
“There is a woman at the helm and women make things better,” he mentioned.
Infrastructure for innovation
Highlighting Lagos’ digital transformation efforts, Mr Sanwo-Olu mentioned the state had laid about 3,000 kilometres of fibre-optic infrastructure between 2019 and 2025, increasing connectivity to a couple of million extra residents.
He added that the federal government continues to put money into broadband, transportation and power infrastructure to create an setting the place innovation can flourish.
The governor additionally shared the story of a feminine entrepreneur who benefited from state-backed funding, enterprise coaching and digital assist and has since expanded her buyer base throughout Africa, Asia and South America.
“When connected to the right tools and given the right opportunities, women will scale and deliver value,” he mentioned, urging younger innovators to “dream boldly and innovate fearlessly.”
Experts push for Nigeria-first AI
A significant focus of the summit was the rising position of synthetic intelligence and the necessity to develop options tailor-made to native realities.
Speaking throughout a panel session titled “AI, Innovation and Inclusion: AI and Cloud for Local Market Solutions,” business leaders referred to as for a Nigeria-first method to AI growth.
The session was moderated by Stella Adibe, Associate Director, Tech Platforms, KPMG West Africa.
Olaniyi Yusuf, Managing Partner at Verraki Partners and Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, urged builders to transfer past imported know-how options and construct AI programs that mirror native languages, cultures and realities.
He emphasised that AI options have to be tailor-made to the native setting, accounting for cultural nuances, language, and particular regional knowledge somewhat than relying solely on international fashions.
Dotun Adeoye, co-founder of AI Nigeria, echoed these sentiments, noting that whereas many present AI instruments originate within the West, native builders should fine-tune these fashions utilizing related knowledge.
Inclusion begins with entry
Panellists additionally recognized infrastructure deficits, notably electrical energy and knowledge entry, as main limitations to inclusive AI adoption.
Ibiyemi Lawani, an power and enterprise innovator, mentioned know-how can’t be actually inclusive except individuals can reliably entry it.
The dialogue additionally highlighted the significance of designing merchandise round customers’ wants.
Hannatu Adegboyega, a gross sales chief and folks supervisor, inspired innovators to interact end-users from the earliest phases of product growth.
“Fall in love with the problem and not your own solution,” she mentioned, urging know-how builders to stay versatile as challenges evolve.
Building an AI roadmap
Mr Adeoye outlined 4 critical pillars wanted to speed up AI adoption in Nigeria: knowledge, expertise, governance and computing infrastructure.
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“AI is an industrial evolution. We need to think about data, talent, governance and compute. AI has to be responsibly used and governed,” he mentioned.
He additionally inspired entrepreneurs to concentrate on fixing sensible enterprise issues somewhat than being intimidated by the technical complexity of AI.
“You don’t need to be a scientist to build solutions for businesses,” he added.
Earlier, the convener of the summit, Motunrayo Opawole, mentioned the occasion would concentrate on sensible discussions round adapting synthetic intelligence to the Nigerian setting and increasing alternatives for girls in know-how.
She mentioned the summit was designed to assist form conversations round innovation, inclusion and Africa’s digital future.