Lagos to double tech contribution to GDP by 2030 – Commissioner

Lagos State Commissioner for Innovation, Science, and Technology, Mr Olatunbosun Alake. Photo credit: Nairametrics

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The Lagos State Commissioner for Innovation, Science, and Technology, Mr Olatunbosun Alake, has stated that the state plans to increase the contribution of Information and Communication Technology to its economy by 100 per cent by 2030.

He disclosed this on Thursday in Lagos at the Art of Technology Lagos 7.0, which had the theme “Future Technologies and Sustainable Lagos”.

“We want to increase the share of IT and innovation’s contribution to Lagos’s economy. By 2030, the figure that is missing here is 100 per cent. And so, the share of Lagos’s economy today that IT sells, we want to increase by 100 per cent.

“We want to drive an increase in invention and scientific research activity by about 50 per cent to solve Lagos’s challenges. That means Lagos is the place to solve it. And we want to make Lagos a major technology hub in the world by 2030. I think we can achieve this,” he asserted.

Although there was no data available for the contribution of ICT to Lagos’s economy, its GDP reached N14.85tn in Q1 2025, with 1.75 per cent real growth led by services.

Meanwhile, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, the ICT sector contributed 11.18 per cent to the country’s GDP in Q2 2025, and Lagos is the nation’s ICT and economic hub.

The commissioner added that Lagos State had been introducing AI models in its labour digital quarter to serve the citizens better.

“So, practically, we have been using AI for a lot of our work to drive more efficient results and to drive value. And of course, let us lead Nigeria’s AI scene with 6 billion in funding for the course between 2019 and 2024,” Alake mentioned.

Also, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, revealed that the government was working on the Lagos Innovation Bill, which, when passed into law, would provide a framework for the promotion of research and innovation in the state.

“The current government should be designed to foster innovation as a core part of the social economy strategy of our state. It strengthens intellectual property protection and expands access to funding for startups and researchers, deepening collaboration among our governments, academia, industry, and regulators. It also provides a stable environment for the foundation,” he enunciated.

The deputy governor added that as the state strengthened its e-governance, smart city system, and internet to printers and AR, “server security is no longer an option. It is a firewall that protects our ambitions. So, we are not just building technology; we must also secure it. So, our connecting technology leaders of the stage.”

“The current government should be designed to foster innovation as a core part of the social economy strategy of our state. It strengthens intellectual property protection and expands access to funding for startups and researchers, deepening collaboration among our governments, academia, industry, and regulators. It also provides a stable environment for the foundation,” Hamzat noted.

He explained that the state was grappling with traffic because it has one of the smallest landmasses in the country, but has the largest population density.

“So, people will say Lagos has a lot of traffic. That is so because our land is less than 0.3 per cent of the country’s landmass but has about 10 per cent of the country’s population. So, smart mobility technology is what they are trying to do to tackle this problem,” said Hamzat, who was a former Lagos State Commissioner for Innovation, Science, and Technology.

Earlier, the founder of the Eko Innovation Centre and conference curator, Dr Victor Afolabi, provided a brief history of the event and highlighted achievements from the past six years.

“All the work and the foundation that we made together in the last six years. And this year, we’re focused on talking about it as a future technology and sustainable leaders. Looking at how this technology will come together. Again, it’s not just about AI.

“Together we can help shape the world, help drive the innovation and the process of the solution as the process of the technology system that’s the policy and regulation, and I want to welcome you to this conference,” he stated.

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