Smart infrastructure, research funding and a growing digital backbone took centre stage on Thursday, December 4, 2025, as Lagos State leaders outlined the next phase of the state’s innovation agenda at AoT 7.0.
Lagos State Commissioner for Innovation, Science, and Technology, Tunbosun Alake, said the state has completed more than 85 research projects and committed about NGN2 billion to innovation funding. He added that Lagos is expanding its clean energy and green technology footprint and has contributed 15,000 kilometres to ongoing fibre deployment across the state.
Lagos’ digital gains, next steps for a smarter city
In his keynote, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat said the event represents a future “where ideas become solutions and where Lagos continues to define the innovation agenda of our country and our continent.”
He said this year’s theme, Future Technologies and Sustainable Lagos, aligns with the mission of building a city that is digital, resilient, inclusive and globally competitive.
Hamzat noted that Lagos is now considered “the fastest rising innovation centre on the planet,” a development he credited to collaboration between private and public players in the ecosystem.
According to him, the state’s investments in infrastructure and digital systems are aimed at increasing the contribution of technology and innovation to Lagos’ GDP.
“For us, we see technology not just as an enabler. We see it as a foundation for sustainable growth, efficient governance, and a resilient city,” Hamzat said.
The deputy governor highlighted milestones from the last five years, starting with the state’s push toward a smarter and safer city. He said the smart city transformation is already delivering visible impact through infrastructure like the intelligent transport system and automated traffic enforcement. These tools, he said, show how automation improves compliance, transparency and safety.
Hamzat stated that the Safe City intelligent video surveillance network has aided several operations.
The Nigerian police using our infrastructure has achieved over ten major operational successes in security responses, criminal investigation and traffic management, Hamzat said.
Connectivity remains a major pillar of the government’s strategy. Hamzat said that between 2020 and 2024, the state deployed 2,500 kilometres of fibre optic and duct infrastructure. “A connected Lagos will be a prosperous Lagos,” he said, adding that the network has enabled more than one million residents to gain new or improved broadband access within four years.
This connectivity, he said, is powering one of Africa’s fastest-growing digital economies, with Lagos now hosting a strong cluster of data centres, cloud platforms and enterprise networks.
On governance, Hamzat said, and earlier stated by Alake, the state is shifting to a digital-first model. In five years, more than 16 ministries, departments and agencies now offer front-facing digital services.
Licencing, tax processes, permits, revenue collection and public records are transitioning into unified data systems. He said the Lagos data portal, which receives over 10,000 daily visitors, is becoming the country’s standard for e-governance. “We are building a government that works at the speed of a citizen,” he said.
Funding research and innovation remains a priority for the state. Through the Lagos State Science Research and Innovation Council, Hamzat echoed Alake’s comment that the government has committed almost NGN2 billion to support innovators, researchers and startups.
More than 75 startups across real tech, agritech, construction tech, edtech and climate tech have received grants and support. He described this pipeline as the engine of long-term competitiveness and said Lagos is now the number one sovereign funder of research and development in the country.
Hamzat also highlighted the newly commissioned Lagos State Cybersecurity Council, which he called the first of its kind at the sub-national level.
The council, made up of private sector experts, regulators and global technology leaders, will develop a cybersecurity framework for Lagos, strengthen readiness against threats, build talent capacity and promote secure data practices.
“Cybersecurity is no longer optional. It is the firewall protecting our ambitions,” the deputy governor said.
Hamzat said Lagos is accelerating into a fully digital economy, powered by e-governance, smart city systems, the Internet of Things, fintech and artificial intelligence.
He added that the Lagos Innovation Bill now in public review will institutionalise innovation as a core part of the state’s socioeconomic strategy and expand access to funding for startups and researchers. “Infrastructure, policy, talent and investment are all moving in alignment,” he said.
He added that artificial intelligence will support predictive governance, healthcare, traffic optimisation and smart urban planning, while IoT systems will support water management, flood monitoring and environmental sustainability.
Hamzat described the present moment as one that will define how Lagos plans, operates and competes in the decade ahead. “We are not just building technology. We must also secure it,” he said.
