By Abbas Badmus,

The second edition of GITEX Nigeria, West Africa’s largest technology, artificial intelligence and startup event, officially opened in Abuja on Monday, bringing together senior government officials, global technology leaders, investors and other digital economy stakeholders.

Held from August 31 to September 3 across Abuja and Lagos, the four-day event is focused on accelerating Nigeria’s digital transformation, strengthening local technology capabilities and positioning Africa as a stronger player in the global artificial intelligence ecosystem.

The event is being held under the patronage of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and supported by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). It is endorsed by the Lagos State Government and organised by KAOUN International, the global organiser of GITEX events.

The opening ceremony was followed by the Abuja Government Leadership & AI Summit, which attracted more than 500 public- and private-sector leaders and investors from Nigeria, Africa and other parts of the world.

Speaking at the inauguration, the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said Nigeria was laying the foundations for technology-led growth through investments in technical talent, digital infrastructure, cloud computing and responsible artificial intelligence.

Inuwa highlighted initiatives including the Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL), the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme and Project BRIDGE, saying they were helping to expand Nigeria’s technical talent pool and improve digital inclusion.

He said Nigeria was also developing the policy, cloud infrastructure and regulatory frameworks required to host more data locally, deploy AI responsibly and improve national productivity.

“GITEX NIGERIA positions our country as a global force shaping the international tech ecosystem, not just participating in it,” he added.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, represented by Permanent Secretary of Political and Economic Affairs Office, Mrs. Bekearedebo Augusta Warrens said Nigeria’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy would require a shift from basic connectivity and technology consumption to indigenous innovation and advanced digital capabilities.

Senator Akume, who represented the Federal Government at the summit, said GITEX Nigeria provided an important platform for government and the private sector to align their efforts towards technology-driven economic transformation.

He said the country must transition from being a consumer of foreign technology to becoming a producer of talent, infrastructure and locally designed AI solutions.

“Under the vision of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Renewed Hope Agenda, Nigeria is boldly driving toward a $1 trillion economy,” Akume said.

He added that the country was entering “a new era for Africa” by strengthening its capacity to develop and deploy technology locally.

The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said Nigeria’s technology investment opportunities were expanding beyond the traditional fintech market, pointing to computing infrastructure and digital government services as major areas of growth.

Sanwo-Olu said Lagos, with its extensive subsea cable infrastructure, was strategically positioned to become a major hub for data centres and AI computing in Africa.

He noted that significant portions of Africa’s AI workloads were currently processed outside the continent, creating challenges around latency, cost and data protection.

According to him, Lagos’ electricity reforms, fibre infrastructure and data centre developments could help address the challenge while creating opportunities for international investors.

The governor also identified the digitalisation of government services as another major investment opportunity, citing procurement, revenue collection, permitting, healthcare records, transportation and land administration.

He said Lagos was creating a sizeable and recurring market for enterprise software as government services become increasingly digitised.

Held under the theme, “Beyond Connectivity – The Bridge to Sovereign AI & Innovation,” the Government Leadership & AI Summit focused on the policies, infrastructure, financing and partnerships required to advance Africa’s digital transformation.

More than 25 international experts participated in discussions covering digital public infrastructure, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data protection, connectivity, investment and strategic partnerships.

Sessions examined issues including the development of backbone and last-mile infrastructure through cables, satellites and blended financing models.

Participants also explored ways to attract more private capital into digital infrastructure, with discussions focusing on risk, governance and deal structures that have continued to limit commercial investment across West Africa.

Another key session, “An African Opportunity: The Turning Point of eGov & Digital Interoperability,” examined the rapid development of digital government systems across Africa and opportunities arising from the expansion of digital identity, payment and data-exchange infrastructure.

Following the Abuja summit, GITEX Nigeria will move to Lagos from September 2 to 3 for the Tech Expo, alongside the Future Economy Conference and FDX by GITEX.

The Lagos programme is expected to provide startups and entrepreneurs with opportunities to connect with international investors, secure partnerships and explore global markets.

More than 200 investors from 30 countries, collectively managing about $200 billion in assets, are expected to participate.

Among the international investment firms joining the programme are Askya Investment Partners of France, Incofin Investment of Belgium, Triple Jump of Kenya and the Netherlands, Lightrock of the United Kingdom, Global Ventures of the United Arab Emirates and Innovest Afrika of the United States.

The organisers said the impact of GITEX Nigeria was already being demonstrated through investment deals generated from its inaugural edition in 2025.

For instance, venture studio FirstFounders connected with 18 startups during the 2025 event, with LabTracka, Vant and GraceAI subsequently entering deeper discussions with the firm.

Vant, an AI-powered business banking and management platform, later joined the FirstFounders portfolio through a $200,000 investment, combining funding with operational support.

The development, organisers said, demonstrates the potential of GITEX Nigeria to connect African startups with global capital and create long-term pathways for investment and business growth.

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TECHDIGEST – Lagos State government has disclosed that the state attracted over a billion dollars in data centre investment alone in 2021.

The governor made the disclosure as the Guest of Honour at the groundbreaking ceremony of Rack Centre’s 12mw IT power capacity data centre facility, in Ikeja Lagos.

Sanwo Olu who was represented by his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat said the feat depicted the trust investors have in Lagos and the belief tech enterpreneurs have in the state as a safe business environment.

He promised that the state can only improve the business climate and make it more conducive.

Sanwo Olu said the increasing IT infrastructure utilisation in Lagos shouldn’t be surprising to anybody going by the proliferation of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain, Software Defined Networks, Smart cities among others which are prevalent in the state today.

Apparently claiming a bragging right, the Governor said that Lagos is at an inflection point in the way businesses are conducted in the state.

According to Sanwo Olu, technology has revolutionised and continues to change industries and business models, adding that companies like Rack Centre are at the heart of making the dreams of a new world future possible.

He said: “Rack Centre is an organisation with a reputation of excellent track record of world-class service delivery. The firm has a great and productive relationship with Lagos State.

“Today’s event is a testament to the trust and faith investors and the wider Lagos IT market have in this company. Expansion like this presents the opportunity not just for growth in services, but also allows for a pushing of the technology envelope.

“in 2021, investments in data centre infrastructure domiciled in Lagos grew by over a billion dollars. This in itself is testament to the enabling environment and attractive market Lagos provides. We are certain that demand for future Rack Centre services are already available within this market from both a private and public sector perspective.”

“From our 3000km metropolitan fibre optic project to our Electronic Geographic Information System and our Smart city initiatives and implementations, Lagos is poised to be a significant IT hub for the region. It is in this vein that this groundbreaking today is lock-step and in line with the future outlook of this city”. He added.

He promised that the state has series of initiatives and programmes that will deliver one of the most digitised cities in Africa.

Meanwhile, Group Chief Executive Officer, Rack Centre, Jasper Lankhorst, said the new data centre project will enhance and broaden the capacity of the company to serve more clients in Nigeria with an IT load of 12MW as against the LGS 1 facility, which has an IT load of 1.5MW.

He said: “With about 85 million Internet subscribers, more than any country in Africa or Europe, and the largest population and GDP in Africa, Nigeria is a key entry point for global telecommunications, content, and cloud players seeking access to the region. We are embarking on this new build to bring applications and data closer to the user and improve the quality and speed of the user experience” Lankhorst said.

Lankhorst explained that the new facility, just like LGS 1 data centre, will offer the unique competitive edge of reliability as a Tier III Constructed Facility offering 100 per cent uptime with Zero downtime and 10 levels of physical security with biometric, CCTV monitoring, and 24/7 Command Centre.

“At Rack Centre, we are 100 per cent Carrier and Cloud Neutral which means we are not owned or affiliated with any telecommunications carrier, ISP or managed service provider and do not compete, therefore offering great opportunities for all our digital ecosystem partners to grow their businesses at Rack Centre. We offer unrestricted interconnects between customers, as it allows them to manage traffic to get better value, lower latency, and higher resilience,” he added.

He said that Rack Centre, with over 60 carriers, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Cloud and Content delivery networks, offers a wide and unrestricted choice of services for its customers. Fibre access to the facility is through three diverse routes and includes all active undersea cables on the Atlantic coast of Africa.

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TECHDIGEST – The Pan​​ African Digital Initiative Summit & Expo (P.A.D.I.S.E) 2022 which held in Lagos Nigeria last week with attendance from the biggest names in Nigeria’s technology and security space has identified collaboration as the major way forward in the quest to curb the rising threats of insecurity, whether cyber or physical.

The seminal conference had the theme: Leveraging the Right Policies and Technologies in Taming Insecurity and Cyber Threats.

Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy of Nigeria who delivered the lead paper noted that combating cyber security is a collective effort that demands a multi-sector approach.

He stated that every component of society from the government at the highest level to private individuals has a role to play in achieving secure cyberspace.

According to him, “Many intelligent learning techniques, like deep learning and reinforcement learning, are now being added to cybersecurity systems to make them safer and better at protecting privacy for both personal and ubiquitous systems.”

Dr. Lawan Mohammed, Head of Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT) Unit at NITDA, who represented Prof Isa Pantami added that artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to change security and the way cyber-attacks are tackled.

Prof Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) observed that it would be beneficial to establish partnerships and collaboration with relevant stakeholders to improve security.

He revealed that efforts are already underway including initiatives such as linking NIN with SIMs, the Cyber security incidence team and the Internet Code of Practice among others.

Prof Danbatta was represented by Engineer Austine Nwanoli, Director of Digital Economy at the NCC.

According to Eng Abdullahi Sule, Executive Governor, Nasarawa State in his keynote presentation, “In considering how to leverage the right policies and technologies in taming insecurity and cyber-threats, one word that comes to mind is vulnerabilities. The scale of ransomware attacks and the large scope of threats shows that no organization, no state, no company is immune.”

He added that we must train and retrain ourselves, collaborate with partners and work to mitigate the threats. Shehu Ibrahim, DG, Bureau for ICT, Nasarawa State, who represented the governor insisted that technology can solve insecurity.

Mrs. Folashade Jaji, Secretary to The Lagos State Government, in her goodwill message praised is Excellency, Governor Babajide SanwoOlu for T.H.E.M.E.S Development agenda, which stands for Transportation & Traffic Management, Health and Environment, Education and Technology, Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy, Entertainment and Tourism, Security and Governance. Security, she noted, is a cardinal pillar for this administration.

She revealed that the government has a lot of initiatives in the works to tackle insecurity including the Unmanned Area Vehicle (UAV) for the Geo-mapping of the State’s landscape and to manage emergency, security and disaster recovery management amongst others. In addition, cameras are being deployed on major routes for better traffic management and security of road users across Lagos State. Mrs. Tolani Oshodi, Permanent secretary, cabinet office of the SSG, represented the SSG.

Engineer Ikechukwu Nnamani, President Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) called for closer collaboration between services providers and regulators. We must endeavour to digitize our methods to mitigate the impact of insecurity, he remarked.

Abiodun Alabi, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, revealed that the NPF Force HQ has a Technical Intelligence Unit (T.I.U) to combat cybercrime and physical threats to Nigerians noting that the police is collaborating with the West African Police Information System (WAPIS) to begin data collation of all nefarious individuals across the West African region, NCC and Interpol.

Benjamin Hundeyin, SP Police, who represented the CP, said that there is a national crime and incidence centre in Lagos, the NPF social media unit is now fully operational and the Rescue me App has also been launched.

Veteran Tech Journalist and Managing Partner, Africa Telecom and IT news Prince Bayo Abiodun Chaired one while Amos Emmanuel, Founder, Innovationbed Africa chaired two day.

Don Pedro Aganbi, the Convener of PADISE 2022 poised that insecurity affects every country today, as they hamper efforts to promote and protect human rights and are an obstacle to sustainable development.

The Summit held side by side with an exhibition which featured companies like Zoho Technologies, Africa Data Centres, IHS towers, itel, Ethnos IT Solutions, OneData, TeleAfrica, Medallion Communications, OneData, Cloudflex, Alpha Technologies, EcoExcel and ICSL among others.

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TECH DIGEST – Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu has lauded the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) for the revolutionary work being done to develop the digital economy.

The Governor made this commendation when the Director General of NITDA and management staff paid a courtesy visit to the Governor at the Lagos State Government House on Wednesday, May 19, 2021.

He said, “I know NITDA and what NITDA has been doing, you have some intellectual driven people and I urge you to ensure that we create an ecosystem where businesses and processes are enduring to stand the test of time.”

Sanwo-Olu believes that NITDA is helping to achieve this, adding that, NITDA is here to support both the public and private sector to grow, to rewrite the narratives to rid off lack of trust, truth and sincerity in the country.

The Governor also reeled out some smart projects the state is embarking on for it to leapfrog from three industrial revolution into the fourth.

He identified the proposed building of the biggest Technology Hub in Yaba, the establishment of Science, Research Innovation Council in Lagos, the Unified Fibre Duct project, the N250 million grant given to Startups in 2020, the free WiFi for public schools and institutions among many projects.

The Director General of NITDA, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, while delivering his remarks, charged the Lagos state government to align its Information Technology programmes to NITDA’s recently unveiled Strategic Road Map and Action Plan, 2021-2024 because of the enormous potentials inherent in it.

Abdullahi disclosed that the 2021-2024 Strategic Roadmap and Action Plans is positioned on seven pedestal that can help to unlock the digital economy potentials of the state.

He said, “Our Strategic Roadmap and Action Plans 2021-2024 was carefully crafted to unleash your (Lagos state) digital capability. The plan is anchored on seven pillars that can be a source of inspiration for you to invest more in making Lagos the centre of digital excellence.”

While listing the seven pillars to form the SRAP to include; Developmental Regulations, Digital Literacy and Skills, Digital Transformation, Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Cyber Security, Emerging technologies and promotion of Indigenous Contents, the DG sought for the constitution of a team between the Agency and Lagos State government that would work out modalities for “possible areas of cooperation and supports” the Agency could offer to the state for it to “continue on its march to greatness.”

Abdullahi also requested that the state should host the proposed Nigerian Data Protection Regulation, (NDPR) Toolkit for health sector.

He said the State is considered to hold the workshop because of its experience in the implementation, adding that the workshop would provide the requisite tools to the digital transformation of the health sector.

While acknowledging that the status of the state as largest startups ecosystem in Africa with over 400 startups valued at 2 billion USD, the DG advised the state government to create enabling environment, issue appropriate regulations and execute the right programmes that would facilitate the emergence of the state as the African digital economy hub.

Mallam Abdullahi declared that various initiatives of the Agency has helped the state and its residents to generate several billions because the state hosts 90 percent of indigenous software developers, ICT hardware manufactures and consultancy service providers.

He said, “I can proudly say that Lagos state benefits the most from the data protection regulation in terms of compliance and revenue generation. It would be amazing to know that out of the estimated 5.2 billion naira revenue generated by the Data Protection Compliance Organisations, Lagos based DPCO have captured over 4.5 billion naira representing over 86 percent of total revenue generated in the data protection industry.”

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TECH DIGEST – The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said the state will soon roll out metropolitan fibre optics across public schools to aid learning through high-speed internet connectivity.

Sanwo-Olu who revealed this at the commissioning of blocks of classrooms in four schools further said the broadband internet infrastructure would be completed and commissioned before the end of May 2021, in 100 schools selected for the pilot scheme.

He reiterated his commitment towards revitalising the education sector by providing a conducive environment for teaching and learning across all schools within the state.

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TECH DIGEST – Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu says his administration would support the Digital Switch Over (DSO) being embarked by the country, saying it would enhanced job creation and content development.

Sanwo-Olu who acknowledged that the DSO would be of immense benefits to residents said Lagos State would be providing publicity support for the rollout.

Speaking on Saturday when the Ministerial Taskforce of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture on Digital Switch Over led by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, paid him a courtesy visit at the Lagos House, Marina, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the DSO will provide job opportunities for youths and many businesses, especially those in the entertainment and tourism industry.

He said the DSO will also provide opportunity for government to use the content to inform and engage the citizens as well as bring governance closer to the people.

Governor Sanwo-Olu who advised the Ministerial Taskforce on the Digital Switch Over to make the FreeTV box and after sale support easily accessible, said making the FreeTV Set Top Box a one-off payment with a yearly renewal, will provide opportunity for millions of Nigerians who cannot afford to pay the subscription fees being charged by the PayTV platforms to enjoy the benefit of digital television.

He said: “The movement from analogue set up that we currently have to digital is apt and it speaks to reality of what we have today. Everywhere in the world, technology is now a fundamental and critical deliverable of government. It presents an opportunity for citizens to have access to local, national and international space.

“As a forward looking state, we are in partnership and we see it as bringing the future to our citizens, so we do not have a problem with it at all. Even for us as a state, we have been developing our metropolitan fiber optics to provide fiber connectivity as one of the solutions for our citizens to have access to cheaper data.

“We will support the DSO. We want Lagos to continue to set the pace for the nation. We will help our people to be exposed to modern and international best practices. We will be willing to work with you and ensure that we deliver jointly on April 29.”

Speaking earlier, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said the proposed rollout in Lagos would be a critical milestone for the DSO and the creative industry as over one million jobs would be provided nationwide.

He said with the FreeTV of the DSO, Nigerians would have opportunities to watch over 60 channels with great contents at a cheaper rate and without subscription to pay TV.

Mohammed who presented Governor Sanwo-Olu with the Set Top Box for the DSO said it would also enable government to get the data of every household with television, thereby making the collection of television and radio licenses easier, adding that the Nigerian Broadcasting Code (NBC) had been amended to make provisions for the switch over from analogue to digital.

The Minister of Information and Culture also disclosed that six months after the rollout of the DSO in Lagos, the NBC would ask television stations to shut down their analog broadcast equipment, thereby making more spectrum available for data and other telecommunication services.

Mohammed who noted that the DSO is relevant to the Lagos Smart City Project and the Lagos Broadband initiative, urged Governor Sanwo-Olu to direct the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) to provide out-of-home boards, lamp post and other publicity support for the DSO launch for at least three months.

He said: “The rollout in Lagos reflects our decision to take the DSO to commercial centres across the country. With a population of over 20 million, and projected TV Households of over five million, the launch of FreeTV in Lagos State will be a critical milestone for the DSO and for Nigeria’s broadcast and creative industry.

“Lagos State, which is the hub of the Creative Industry, will take a large share of the 1 million jobs to be created. Since FreeTV helps to provide Value Added Services, the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 LCDAs in Lagos State will be supported in the collection of Television and Radio Licenses from residents. With FreeTV’s push system for information services, the FreeTV platform can be used to broadcast information on Lagos State activities to all viewers.

“A major advantage of the DSO is that viewers will not pay subscription fees. Once they have acquired the Set Top Box and pay the once-a-year access fee, which is a token, it is free viewing all the way. Millions of Nigerians who cannot afford to pay the rising subscription fees being charged by the PayTV platforms can now enjoy the benefits of digital television. This is the meaning of bridging the digital divide.”

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TECH DIGEST – Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has launched the Learning Management System (LMS), an e-learning and training platform for public servants in the state.

Developed by the tech firm Envivo Communications, the LSM is a technology-driven platform to enhance capacity development in the public workforce through continuous training.

Through it, the state will administer, document, track report, and deliver educational courses and training programmes for civil servants.

The innovation also phases out low training quota in the civil service. Before now, it takes four years to train about 3,000 workers but with LSM, about 50,000 workers can be trained in one year.

Sanwo-Olu said the innovation would raise the bar of service delivery in the civil service, adding that the platform would expose the personnel to a wide spectrum of opportunities for enhanced competence and efficiency.

He said: “Our administration places a premium on the competence of the public service to deliver government policies, strategies, and programmes for the benefit of the people. It is, therefore, necessary that we equip our public service personnel with the requisite skills and learning tools needed to thrive in a 21st century economy and a knowledge-based environment.

“The launch of the Learning Management System, today, is a crystallisation of the reform process which our administration initiated to improve service delivery in public administration and governance.

“It is laudable that the public service personnel have embraced the innovation, which will further enhance their capacity to deliver quality and timely service to the people’’, Sanwo-Olu added.

Already, 42,446 of the state’s over 150,000 civil servants have been on-boarded on the e-learning portal. The portal has a variety of 4,000 free learning contents, self-enrolment courses, and 8,000 courses from the LinkedIn Learning Library.

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TECH DIGEST – An arrested fraudster has confessed to the methods use to rob bank accounts via access to your phone.

A lot of people are highly ignorant to how losing their phones to fraudsters can lead to a complete clean-up of their bank accounts.

If you ask any banker, he or she will tell you about the hundreds of customers who have often come crying to the banks for help after realising that the money in their bank accounts have either fallen short of what it should be or has hit red.

These frudsters do this by stealing victims’ identity; name, address, bank information which they use in gaining access to their bank aacounts. They also use the stolen identity to defraud other people and even apply for loans, leaving the victim with debts.

A local fraudster arrested by the Police confesses to how he steals money from people’s bank accounts through their SIM cards. He claims he does “Wire Wire” also called SIM transaction or “Joker wire” where he can unlock, transfer and withdraw from any SIM card that is linked to a bank account.

In a video posted on Twitter by Jubril Gawat, the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on New Media to the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the arrested fraudster confessed that once he gets hold of such a phone, he gains access to it easily by dialing the code, *425*100# to reveal the bank account connected to the SIM card.

For example, if it is an Access Bank aacount, he will dial *901*00# to show the users account balance. He will then proceed to reset the PIN, and the bank will ask for the account number and date of birth of the account holder. Since a lot of people save their account number on their contact list, He can easily get it there.

He will then proceed to use the account number to get the victim’s BVN, then use the BVN to get all his/her details by dialing *565*0#. With this information, he will proceed to reset the PIN, then use the date of birth to create a new PIN. From there, he will be able to transfer money out of the account.

He explains further that if the SIM card owner is a salary earner or owns a salary account, he will be eligible to apply for loans. As long as it’s the SIM used to receive bank account alerts, he can hack it. He does it so efficiently that the main owner of the account will receive no alert on any transactions done.

He transfers the stolen money to a “No trace Account” (Aza) using another stolen sim with its BVN to create it,
so the new account will be used to receive the funds and the owner of that stolen SIM card will be the one that will be traced.

Even if he does not see a SIM to use, as long as he can get the BVN, he can use it to receive the funds.

It can be tough to keep up with the many vices of internet fraudsters, who are constantly changing their techniques to keep ahead of the authorities. Being a victim of fraud can affect people of any age, and it can cost a lot of money.

We have valuable information we let out easily, but unconsciously. And there are people out there waiting to get hold of such information. It is advisable to always be careful of where and how we store our personal information.

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TECH DIGEST – Lagos Establishes Artificial Intelligence Centre, Offers Automatic Employment-Scholarship to LASU’s Best Graduate

Governor Offers Automatic Employment To Valedictorian, Gifts N5 Million Cash Reward To Best Master’s Student

For finishing with the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.95 on a scale of 5.0, Oladimeji Shotunde, the best graduating student of the Lagos State University (LASU), has won a post-graduate scholarship to any university in the world and a N5 million cash prize.

All thanks to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who rewarded the excellence attained by the valedictorian at the 24th convocation of the university.

Shotunde, a 22-year-old, who finished from the Department of Business Administration in the Faculty of Management Science, also got an offer of automatic employment into the State’s public service.

Besides, the Governor awarded a cash prize of N5 million to the Best Master’s Degree student of the school, Sola Olabanjo, who finished his Master’s Degree in Computer Science with the Grade Point of 5.0.

Sanwo-Olu, who is still on self-isolation after contracting Coronavirus (COVID-19), joined the event virtually from the State House, Marina. He is the Visitor to the University.

The Governor said Shotunde’s record-breaking feat had set a new academic standard for the school, stressing that cash reward was his personal effort at promoting academic excellence and honouring brilliance. He promised that his Government would continue to provide students with the best educational experience that will make them relevant locally and outside of Nigeria.

In his address, Sanwo-Olu disclosed that Lagos has started to brace itself for the opportunities in manufacturing driven by application of technology and artificial intelligence to raise the sector’s capacity and output.

He said the State Government had already set off the process of transforming the local manufacturing sector, with its collaboration with University of Pittsburg in the United State (U.S.) to establish manufacturing assistance centres across Lagos to train young people in modern manufacturing skills, using technology and knowledge of artificial intelligence.

The partnership, the Governor said, will overhaul education ecosystem through hands-on machining skills and mechanical engineering principles, thereby preparing trainees for immediate employment in manufacturing sector.

Sanwo-Olu said his administration’s education investment was to assist students in the Government-owned tertiary institutions across the State to harness their potential and talents for promoting excellence in industries, entrepreneurship and self-sustenance.

The Governor also said the State Government had donated a building and a piece of land in Victoria Island for the takeoff of an Executive Collaborative Programme to be run by LASU in partnership with Cornell University in New York, adding that his administration had expanded the capacity of School Jobs Initiative to accommodate the needs of students in eight tertiary institutions in Lagos.

He said: “As a Government, we have decided to raise our State’s manufacturing capacity by promoting and providing manufacturing education and training. We are prepared to overhaul our education ecosystem through machining and mechanical engineering principles that will prepare our graduates for immediate employment. This is being done in collaboration with partners like the University of Pittsburgh, USA. Our goal is to establish manufacturing assistance centres across the State for the purpose of improving our manufacturing capacity.

“We have also donated a building and a piece of land in Victoria Island for the LASU/Cornell University Executive Collaborative Programme, which will be ready in the next 18 months. In this fast-paced world, we cannot continue to bask in the euphoria of yesterday’s successes; if we do not step up our game, others will catch up with us and even overtake us. We, therefore, expect these programmes to further transform the economy of our State in the nearest future, since the majority of young people who will undertake the programme will end up as professionals, entrepreneurs and also become employers of labour. It is common knowledge that sound education is pivotal to economic growth.”

As part of the move to create conducive environment for learning, Sanwo-Olu approved the construction of a world-class Faculty of Education edifice for LASU, which will begin in 2021. This is in addition to the construction of 8,230-bed space hostel for students through Public Private Partnership (PPP).

The Governor acknowledged LASU’s recently-attained recognition by World Bank as the Best African Center of Excellence for Innovative and Transformative Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education, and its ranking as the Second Best University in Nigeria by Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020.

Sanwo-Olu applauded the feats, but urged the school management not to rest on its oars until LASU becomes the best in Africa.

He said: “With the limitless opportunities provided by technology, nothing stops the LASU from becoming renowned for competitive academic research, innovative breakthroughs, and seminal creativity that will put the institution at par with some of the world’s best universities. This administration will immediately set up a visitation panel for the school in line with statutory stipulations.”

“Like other State-owned institutions, I promise you that LASU will not be neglected. As we position the university to compete on the global stage, we will continue to make the needed investments to sustain the institution. With education as the third most critical component of our THEMES Agenda, we will strategically tackle all issues related to the growth of the education sector, while creating the enabling environment for our students, graduates, and youths to thrive and manifest their inherent greatness.”

Sanwo-Olu congratulated the graduands for their academic achievements, noting that their sterling performances in course of their programmes and zest for academic success had put LASU on an enviable pedestal.

Having been awarded certificates in their respective disciplines, the Governor said the onus was on the graduands to apply their knowledge and make positive differences.

The school graduated 6,197 students for first degree programmes, 916 for Post-graduate Diploma 916, 825 for Academic Master’s 825, 1,089 Professional Master’s and 47 for doctoral degrees.

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TECH DIGEST – Out of the N250 million Tech Fund Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu unveiled at the first edition of the Art of Technology Lagos 2.0 last year, the Lagos State Science, Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC) has disbursed N100 million, it was gathered on Thursday.

The state government said in line with its Smart City agenda of making Lagos a 21st century economy, it will through the Office of Innovation and Technology, organise the second edition of Art of Technology Lagos 2.0. curated by Eko Innovation Centre.

It said the two-day conference will bring together tech minds from across the world physically and virtually between Dec 3 and 4.

Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo will deliver the Presidential Address on: ‘Lagos, Driving a Smarter and Efficient Nigeria’ while the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isah Pantami will speak on: ‘Nigeria in the Eyes of the World: The data approach.’

With ‘Smart Data, SMARTER Lagos,’ as theme, AoT Lagos 2.0 will facilitate multi-stakeholder discussions, exchanges and collaborations along the data value chain as an enabler of a Smarter Lagos.

The conversation will centre on the fundamental role data plays in connecting the city with its citizens.

Together, delegates will rub minds on how data can be collected, collated, analysed and deployed for governance, commerce and development.

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