Stakeholders across Nigeria’s technology sector have advocated increased investment in local talent, intelligence and innovation as part of efforts to speed up the country’s digital transformation and lessen dependence on foreign technology.
The call was made at the Huawei Nigeria AI and Cloud Summit 2026, held on Thursday, August 27, with the theme, “Built Local, Built Intelligent.”
Representing the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, at the event, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Tax and Revenue, Mr Abdulkabir Opeyemi, said Nigeria’s technological development should increasingly rely on solutions created locally to address the country’s specific needs.
Hamzat maintained that the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and cloud computing makes it necessary for Nigeria to transition from primarily consuming technology to developing and creating its own solutions. He explained that strengthening local technological capacity does not require the country to operate in isolation, but rather to collaborate with international partners while ensuring Nigerians derive meaningful benefits from technological advancement.
He further highlighted the potential of AI and cloud infrastructure to reshape critical sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, public administration and national security. According to him, the technologies could also generate employment opportunities for Nigeria’s growing population of young people.
Speaking on Huawei’s contribution to Nigeria’s digital development, the company’s Nigeria Chief Executive Officer, Austin You, reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the country’s technology ecosystem. He disclosed that Huawei has trained more than 100,000 Nigerians and established over 250 ICT academies aimed at developing the nation’s technology talent pool.
You said Nigeria’s large population, expanding market, digital infrastructure and available talent place the country in a strong position to emerge as a major force in Africa’s artificial intelligence development.
In a related development, the Managing Director of Huawei Cloud Nigeria, Roc Bai, introduced the Huawei Nigeria Agentic Cloud, which he said was developed to align with Nigeria’s requirements for digital sovereignty and data protection.
Bai explained that the platform would facilitate local data residency, ensuring that data can be hosted, processed and managed within Nigeria in line with local requirements.
He identified AI democratisation, data localisation, trust and security as major areas of focus in Huawei Cloud’s strategy for the Nigerian market.
The summit also featured demonstrations of technology applications powered by big data analytics, artificial intelligence and AI agents, showcasing the expanding potential of locally relevant technologies to support Nigeria’s digital transformation.
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