The Executive Vice President of Dubai World Trade Centre and CEO of KAOUN International, Ms. Trixie LohMirmand, organiser of GITEX NIGERIA 2025, commended the resilience of Lagos State’s startup ecosystem and its ability to scale even in the face of challenges.
Trixie noted the unique spirit of Nigerian entrepreneurs, contrasting them with those in developed economies.
According to her, while startups in Silicon Valley innovate out of convenience or ambition, those in Nigeria build solutions born out of necessity, solutions forged in the face of power shortages, currency fluctuations, and infrastructure gaps.
“In Nigeria, startups innovate to survive. That is why they scale faster and endure longer,” she said. “Survival itself is the foundation of their innovation.”
GITEX NIGERIA, making its first appearance in Lagos, can’t be limited in description as a conference, she noted. With over 650 startups, 100 major tech companies, 200 investors from 40 countries, and the support of the Nigerian government and NITDA, the event is designed to draw the world’s attention to Africa’s largest economy.
Trixie described Lagos as a “mega high-speed testbed for technology,” pointing to its 20 million residents as live beta testers for innovators. “If you can survive Lagos, your product can survive anywhere in the world,” she said.
She also stressed that unlike many cities that lean on existing infrastructure, Nigerian startups usually build industries from scratch, a fact that has positioned the country at the top in fintech globally, with solutions that inspire entrepreneurs across continents. “In other markets, they adapt from infrastructure. Here, they create the infrastructure itself,” she explained.
Importantly, she cautioned against expecting instant wins. “This is not a sprint, it is a marathon,” she said, noting that most will not walk away with immediate funding. “80 to 90% of startups will fail. That is the harsh truth, but even failure comes with value, lessons, relationships, mentorship, and clarity.”
The biggest wins from GITEX will be the insights entrepreneurs gain by measuring themselves against global companies, pointing to opportunities for product benchmarking, market fit testing, and understanding interoperability with global systems.
“Whether it’s aligning with Oracle, integrating with Space42 from the UAE, or refining their pitches to match global standards, these are lessons that only exposure at GITEX can provide,” she said.
“Please do not judge the aesthetics of where startups are operating from. Judge the resilience and ingenuity within those environments,” she said.
The EVP also addressed doubts about bringing GITEX to Nigeria. “Why Nigeria? Because we don’t do convenience. We don’t do easy. We are here to provide access to communities that have been underserved for too long,” she asserted, calling on investors and global partners to recognise the sincerity, passion, and ingenuity of Nigerian entrepreneurs.
With Lagos recently ranked as the fastest-growing emerging startup hub in the world, overtaking Mumbai, Bangalore, São Paulo, and Istanbul, Trixie reaffirmed the city’s place as a rising star in the global tech ecosystem. “You didn’t just join the list, you went straight to the top,” she stated
This is not GITEX NIGERIA joining the global ecosystem, it is the global ecosystem turning its attention to Nigeria. “You are not looking outward; the world is coming inward to meet you,” she emphasised.
