Theme: Reimagining Nigeria’s Future: Catalyzing Growth, Empowering People
Date: September 24, 2026
Venue: The Grand Junction, Landmark Towers, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Organiser: Digivation Networks
The fifth edition of the Lagos Future Conference, organised by Digivation Networks, brought together more than 150 stakeholders from government, business, technology, security, academia and the media to examine the challenges and opportunities shaping Nigeria’s future.
Participants included representatives of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nasarawa State Government, Galaxy Backbone, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Precise Financial Systems, Nigeria Computer Society and the Nigerian Army, among other public and private-sector organisations.
Key Observations
1. The conference identified Nigeria’s youthful population, natural resources and growing technology ecosystem as major opportunities for economic transformation. However, gaps in connectivity, cloud infrastructure, data centres, skills and institutional capacity continue to constrain productivity.
2. Participants also noted a widening gap between university education and industry requirements, leaving many graduates without the practical and technical skills required in a rapidly changing economy.
3. While Nigerians have embraced digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, the country must move beyond technology consumption and build its capacity to develop digital products, intellectual property and globally competitive technology solutions.
4. Cybersecurity was identified as an increasingly important part of national security and economic stability, with stronger protection required for critical infrastructure, communications networks and data systems.
5. The conference further noted that women continue to face structural and cultural barriers to entering, remaining and advancing in STEM and technology leadership despite existing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion policies.
Key Speaker Insights
Tosin Ogunmola: Move from potential to performance
Engr. Tosin Ogunmola observed that Nigeria has historically struggled to translate policy documents, ideas and national potential into execution and measurable performance.
He identified Nigeria’s people as the country’s greatest asset, arguing that their intelligence, resilience and everyday problem-solving abilities must be supported through better education and an industrial strategy built around capabilities.
He called for a shift from extraction to creation, consumption to production and potential to performance.
Ogunmola also advocated education reforms that prioritise critical thinking, problem-solving, adaptability and practical capabilities over rote learning. He urged businesses and government to focus more deliberately on institution-building, local manufacturing, intellectual property development and technology exports.
Major General T. K. Udo: Cybersecurity Is Now National Security
Representing the Chief of Army Staff, Major General T. K. Udo noted that modern security threats increasingly extend beyond the physical battlefield into cyberspace, data infrastructure, communication networks and digital ecosystems.
He stressed the importance of secure and well-managed digital records to institutional efficiency and faster decision-making, while noting that artificial intelligence could support military administration and operations if deployed under human oversight, legal frameworks and professional ethics.
The conference called for stronger cyber-defence capabilities, 24-hour monitoring and enhanced institutional resilience through the Nigerian Army Cyber Warfare Command.
It also recommended deeper collaboration between security agencies, regulators, government institutions, technology companies and researchers to protect critical national infrastructure.
Youth development, technical competence and discipline were equally identified as essential to Nigeria’s future digital and security capabilities.
Atai Albert Akpan: Nigeria Must Act on the Carbon Economy
Atai Albert Akpan, Chief Operating Officer and Partner at Transventel LLC and Founding Partner of LiveSmart Nigeria, described Nigeria as being at risk of losing another decade through unfulfilled climate commitments, a shortage of bankable projects, limited budgets and weak public accountability.
He noted that although Nigeria has introduced important policies, including sovereign green bonds and the Electricity Act, a significant gap remains between policy and implementation at scale.
Akpan also warned that emerging global regulations such as the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) make carbon pricing an increasingly important economic issue for Nigerian exporters.
He recommended an 18-month economic state of emergency in the carbon economy, led from the Presidency and backed by quarterly public scorecards.
He further proposed that every Ministry, Department and Agency, as well as state governments, develop at least three bankable carbon projects supported by credible baselines, measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) systems and identified buyers.
He also called for investment in national carbon registries, MRV data rooms integrating institutions such as NiMet, NASRDA, NBS and NIHSA, as well as professional verifier training ahead of COP31.
General Conference Recommendations
Governance and Execution
The conference called on government to move decisively from policy formulation to implementation, backed by transparency, accountability and measurable outcomes.
It also urged institutions to strengthen trust, the rule of law and accountability as foundations for innovation, investment and responsible digital governance.
Human Capital and STEM
Nigeria needs to expand practical, industry-focused technology training through innovation hubs and specialised institutions, including the proposed Digivation Institute of Technology.
Universities should deepen partnerships with industry and regularly align curricula with emerging skills requirements.
A major feature in the conference is the women digital agenda. This session dueled on issues challenges inhibiting women from reaching the top of the economic ladder of the digital economy.
Some of those issues include but not limited to education, skills and mentorship.
The women called for deliberate policies to aid women growth most especially in the age of artificial intelligence and other technologies.
The conference also called for stronger sponsorship, career pathways and work place policies that can increase women’s participation and leadership in STEM.
Digital Infrastructure and Sovereignty
Participants urged Nigeria to accelerate investment in broadband, data centres, cloud infrastructure and other digital assets, particularly beyond major urban centres. Critical national infrastructure should have round-the-clock cybersecurity monitoring, rapid-response capabilities and stronger protection against emerging digital threats. Government and industry were also encouraged to strengthen the protection of national data, digital systems and communications infrastructure.
From Technology Consumption to Production
The conference stressed the need for Nigeria to move beyond consuming imported technologies and build stronger domestic capacity for technology production. This includes supporting local manufacturing, research and development, indigenous digital solutions and the commercialisation of Nigerian innovation.
Participants also called for stronger collaboration among the defence sector, technology industry, academia and private enterprise to tackle national security, industrial and socioeconomic challenges.
Public and private procurement, they noted, should provide greater opportunities for credible Nigerian technology companies and innovators.
Conclusion
The Lagos Future Conference 2026 concluded that Nigeria’s ability to shape a prosperous future will depend less on the country’s potential and more on its capacity to convert that potential into productive capability.
The conference therefore called for stronger collaboration among government, industry, academia, security institutions and civil society, with greater focus on execution, digital infrastructure, human capital, cybersecurity, inclusion, innovation and local technology production.
The central message was clear: Nigeria must move from potential to performance, from consumption to production, and from policy promises to measurable delivery.
Rapporteur:
Martin Ekpeke
Digivation Global Network
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