The air inside the African Creators Conference 2025 in Abuja buzzed with energy. Over 3,000 creators, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and industry leaders had gathered, their eyes fixed on a single mission: shaping Africa’s digital tomorrow.
When Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, director general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), was represented by Dr. Aristotle Onumo, director of Stakeholders Management and Partnerships at NITDA, the room grew quiet.
His words, carrying the weight of Africa’s digital hopes, painted a clear picture: the continent must stop playing catch-up.
“Africa cannot remain just a user of technology. We must become its creators, its exporters, its thought leaders,” he declared, setting the tone for what would become a defining conversation.
The keynote, themed “The Future of Africa in the Global Digital Economy,” was less a speech and more a rallying cry. Inuwa reminded the audience that Africa holds one of the world’s most powerful assets: its youth. Over 1.4 billion people call the continent home, and more than 60% of them are under 25.
“Our young people, with their creativity, energy, and fluency in digital tools, are poised to shape Africa’s future in technology and innovation,” he stressed.
He pointed to Nigeria as a living case study. With 126 million internet users and 205 million mobile subscriptions, the country is not just consuming technology, it is laying the foundations to produce and export it.
Initiatives like the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program, the Nigeria Startup Act, and NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan 2.0 are transforming Nigeria into a hub of digital solutions.
But Inuwa’s vision stretched far beyond national borders. He urged African nations to close ranks, leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to harmonise policies, pool resources, and unlock trillions in untapped digital value. Collaboration, he argued, would be the catalyst that turns Africa from a marketplace into a workshop of world-class innovation.
As his message sank in, the audience could sense the urgency. Africa’s future in the global digital economy, he warned, hinges on choices made today.
“The choices we make will determine whether Africa remains on the margins or takes its rightful place at the centre of global digital transformation,” he concluded.
The conference ended not as a mere gathering but as a pledge, a call for Africa’s brightest minds to seize the tools of the future and shape them with African creativity. Because in the story of technology, Africa must no longer be just a chapter, it must be an author.
