The group’s representatives were present at the InnovateAI 2026 Conference which convened technology leaders, policymakers, innovators, and ecosystem stakeholders to explore the transformative potential of AI in shaping Nigeria’s digital future.

Interswitch maintained a strong presence throughout the conference with an engaging on-ground presence that highlighted its focus on innovation.

Participants engaged with the Interswitch team to gain insights into how emerging technologies, including AI-enabled systems, are strengthening digital payments infrastructure, enhancing operational efficiency, and expanding financial access across Nigeria and the broader African market.

The exhibition attracted developers, startups, enterprise leaders, and regulators eager to explore how intelligent systems can drive scalable and secure digital transformation. Through interactive conversations, Interswitch reinforced its role as a technology leader focused on building resilient, future-ready platforms that power commerce and economic growth.

Beyond the exhibition experience, Interswitch contributed significantly to thought leadership discussions at the conference.

The company featured prominently in a high-level panel session titled “Rights, Equity, and Inclusive Development in Nigeria’s AI Future.”

The session examined the ethical implications of AI deployment, equitable access to emerging technologies, regulatory alignment, and the importance of safeguarding digital rights in an increasingly automated world.

Representing Interswitch on the panel, Babafemi Ogungbamila, Executive Vice President, Operations and Technology, emphasized the need for intentional and responsible AI adoption.

“Artificial intelligence holds immense potential to accelerate economic progress, but its deployment must be guided by fairness, transparency, and accountability. For AI to truly deliver value, it must be designed to close gaps, not widen them, and supported by strong governance, responsible data practices, and cross-sector collaboration,” Ogungbamila said.

He noted that organizations integrating AI into financial systems and digital infrastructure must be deliberate in ensuring that innovation relies on strong governance frameworks, scalable infrastructure and trust between the public and private sectors.

The panel also highlighted the importance of capacity building, local talent development, and policy frameworks that support sustainable AI growth in Nigeria. Interswitch reiterated its commitment to investing in advanced technologies, strengthening partnerships, and supporting initiatives that enable responsible innovation across the ecosystem.

Interswitch’s participation at InnovateAI 2026 aligns with its broader strategy of leveraging technology to drive economic empowerment and accelerate Africa’s digital transformation.

As AI continues to reshape industries globally, the company remains focused on developing secure, scalable, and inclusive solutions for individuals, businesses, and governments.

This position was articulated by Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency, during his virtual address at the InnovateAI Conference in Lagos.

The conference convened policymakers, tech industry leaders, innovators, and other key stakeholders to examine the future of artificial intelligence and its potential to accelerate Nigeria’s digital economy and broader national development objectives.

Inuwa emphasized that Nigeria’s goal, under the National AI Strategy, is to move beyond adopting foreign-built AI solutions to building and owning systems that align with the country’s values, development priorities, and socio-economic realities.

“Our goal is not just to use AI, but to architect and build our own AI systems in Nigeria,” he said, stressing that the country must take ownership of its AI future.

He noted that Nigeria’s approach to artificial intelligence extends beyond innovation to include governance, infrastructure, data sovereignty, and policy evolution.

According to him,

“Responsible AI is never a finished job; it is an iterative journey. Our policies must evolve as the technology evolves, and we must avoid frozen laws by adopting living policies that adapt over time.”

He cited the implementation of the Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill as a key mechanism for generating insights that will help refine AI regulations and governance frameworks.

Inuwa also highlighted the challenge of data representation in global AI systems, noting that most models are trained on non-African datasets, which often results in bias against local dialects, cultures, and demographics.

“If a model shows bias against a local dialect or demographic, we cannot just patch it. We must reinvest in infrastructure to retrain it with inclusive and representative local datasets,” he stated.

He added that building national AI infrastructure is critical to achieving data sovereignty and ensuring that Nigeria is not merely an end user of foreign AI systems.

He further called for strategic partnerships with global technology companies and hyperscalers to build AI infrastructure in Nigeria while aligning with local values and national priorities.

“The world today is a global village. We need to work with global players, but they must understand our local nuances and help us build the infrastructure to retrain and develop AI models that reflect our context,” he said.

The NITDA Director General explained that adopting a comprehensive AI lifecycle approach, from responsible data collection and governance to deployment and continuous feedback, will enable Nigeria to move from reacting to AI developments to proactively designing indigenous AI systems.

“Without understanding how AI models are trained, how decisions are made, and how models are retrained, it will be difficult to build a responsible and trustworthy AI system,” he warned.

He reaffirmed that the Federal Government is intentional about promoting responsible AI and is working closely with the technology ecosystem to co-design national AI guardrails.

He described platforms such as the InnovateAI Conference and other national AI dialogues as critical to shaping Nigeria’s AI future.