He made this known today, Thursday, December 4, at the ongoing Art of Technology Lagos 7.0, holding at the Landmark Event Centre.

Themed “Future Technologies & a Sustainable Lagos”, AOT Lagos 7.0 marks seven years of bringing together the city’s full innovation ecosystem, including founders, developers, entrepreneurs, financiers, academia, and policy-makers. 

Over those years the state has built a solid and broad infrastructure. “We are the de facto IT department for Lagos State,” Alake said, “managing connectivity, data centres, ERP systems, smart-city implementation, and driving public-service digitisation through government.”

Among the State’s achievements he disclosed that between 2019 and 2024, Lagos-based tech startups attracted over $6 billion in funding, representing more than 70% of Nigeria’s total tech investment inflows. 

Alake said that today the ecosystem is roughly valued at $15.3 billion, with Lagos accounting for 80–90% of the country’s startups, making it “the largest startup concentration on the continent.”

He explained how the state government is supporting this boom. Through Lagos State Science Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC), more than 75 startups have been funded, and over 85 research and development initiatives across four to five major universities are currently supported. 

Some of these initiatives have already produced commendable results, including research patents and spin-off companies in areas like climate resilience, green energy, agritech and construction tech.

In addressing infrastructure, Alake disclosed that Lagos now has about 15,000 kilometres of fibre-optic cables, having expanded connectivity by roughly 500 km per year on average. 

This fibre backbone supports public schools, hospitals, government buildings and businesses, a foundation for a truly digital Lagos.

On the public-service side, Alake pointed to the success of the Lagos State Digital Service Portal, launched at last year’s AOT. The portal has recorded over 50,000 unique visitors in the past 60 days alone, enabling citizens to file taxes, apply for planning permits or digital identity, and access other government services online. 

He said work is underway to enhance the portal into a unified gateway for all citizen and business services.

At AOT 7.0, Alake also announced the forthcoming Lagos Innovation Bill, a legal and regulatory framework designed to embed innovation in the state’s economic DNA. 

Once passed, the Bill will, among other things, require large companies in sectors such as telecoms, energy and infrastructure to collaborate with universities and research institutions when seeking solutions. 

For example, building local capacity to design base stations rather than importing equipment.

By 2030, Lagos plans to increase the contribution of IT and innovation to the state economy by 100%, and stimulate a 50% rise in scientific research and invention directed at solving Lagos-specific challenges. 

Alake said, “If you have a technical problem, Lagos is the place to solve it,” stressing that this vision requires “coordination, collaboration, and all of us, working hard, putting aside differences, and moving on shared vision.” 

He called on everyone in the ecosystem, including the government, private sector, academia, investors, and citizens, to contribute.

The ultimate goal is to make innovation a permanent feature of Lagos’ economic and social life.

Speaking at the opening of Art of Technology (AOT) 7.0 today, Thursday December 4, at the Landmark Event Centre, the Deputy Governor noted that this year’s theme, “Future Technologies & a Sustainable Lagos,” aligns with the state’s goal of building a mega-city that is digital, resilient, inclusive and competitive on a global scale.

While addressing innovators, policymakers, and partners, Hamzat shed light on measurable results from ongoing smart-city projects. 

The intelligent transport system and automated traffic enforcement have reduced traffic violations by around 30%. “With the safe-city intelligent video surveillance network, the Nigerian Police has achieved over 10 major operational successes in security, criminal investigation and traffic management,” he said, describing the impact of real-time monitoring.

Connectivity has expanded quickly. Between 2020 and 2024, the government deployed 2,500 kilometres of fibre optics, providing low-cost broadband and cloud infrastructure. 

Over 1 million homes and businesses gained new or improved connectivity in that period, supporting one of Africa’s fastest-growing data economies.

Digital governance is also evolving. More than 16 ministries, departments and agencies now offer citizen-facing services such as licensing, tax processing, permits and public records through a single portal, which receives about 10,000 daily visitors. 

Hamzat said the portal is moving toward a unified platform to make government interaction faster and more transparent.

On research and innovation, Hamzat spoke of the Lagos State Science Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC), which has committed nearly ₦2 billion to fund innovators, researchers, and startups. 

Over 75 ventures across sectors including agritech, climate tech, construction tech and edtech have received grants or support. “That pipeline of ideas and talent is the engine of our long-term competitiveness,” he said.

Data security is also a priority. The Lagos State Cyber Security Council, the first sub-national body of its kind in Nigeria, has been commissioned to develop a cybersecurity framework for government systems, businesses and citizens. 

Its members include private-sector experts, tech company leaders, regulators and researchers. Hamzat emphasised: “We are not just building technology. We must also secure it.”

Speaking further, the Deputy Governor discussed the Lagos Innovation Bill. Once passed, it will make innovation a permanent part of the state’s economic strategy, strengthening intellectual property protection, expanding funding for research, and fostering collaboration between government, academia, and industry. Stakeholders are encouraged to contribute through innovationbill.lagosstate.gov.ng.

At AOT Lagos 7.0, Hamzat also pointed to plans for artificial intelligence in predictive governance, healthcare, traffic optimisation, water management, flood monitoring, waste management, and other areas of environmental sustainability. 

He said the state is deploying smart mobility solutions to address congestion in a city that occupies less than 0.4% of Nigeria’s land but hosts 10% of its population.

He concluded by inviting all stakeholders, including investors, researchers, private companies and citizens, to partner with the government in building a “smarter, safer, greener mega-city, a data economy that creates jobs and prosperity.”

Through these initiatives, Lagos aims to set a global example for how technology, governance and sustainability can combine to improve lives and strengthen the local economy.

The system checks news, images, videos, audio and social posts within seconds, scanning sources, detecting manipulation and flagging synthetic material before users engage or share. 

The company says the tool was built around live verification rather than the static datasets used by most existing solutions.

Chief Executive Kayode Aladesuyi said the platform was created to restore confidence online. “Truth has never been harder to find. Curation AI puts verification at everyone’s fingertips, empowering people to navigate the internet with confidence,” he said.

Eighty percent of the engineering team is Nigerian, with development, testing and deployment carried out mainly in Lagos and Abuja. The company sees the launch as evidence that Africa can move from consuming technology to building it.

The platform responds to the high digital risks across the continent, including fake political content, manipulated videos and AI-generated materials influencing public opinion. 

With most users struggling to tell genuine content from fabricated posts, the tool is designed for everyday use, from checking viral clips to confirming election-related claims and helping parents ensure children view authentic material.

Beyond verification, users can search live public opinion and monitor online conversations in real time. According to the firm, organisations in insurance, media, communications, elections and regulatory compliance are already testing the platform to authenticate content and track narratives before misinformation spreads.

MYai Robotics says the ability to run instant opinion polls, monitor brand activity and confirm the legitimacy of any digital file makes the system a strategic tool for institutions working to protect public trust.

The launch aligns with Nigeria’s goal, where government and private-sector experts are targeting 50,000 jobs in the AI sector by 2030 and aiming for a top-50 global ranking in readiness across computing power, skills, data, ethics and governance.

Curation AI is now available for public testing, where users can upload content, run checks and explore features at no cost.

The report tracks 288 tech hubs across 69 countries and ranks them based on growth in enterprise value, unicorn creation, and economic factors like cost of living and GDP per capita.

Lagos has grown its startup ecosystem valuation by 11.6 times since 2017 and produced five unicorns within the same period. 

Companies like Flutterwave, OPay, Moniepoint, and Interswitch have played huge roles in ensuring this growth. Dealroom places Lagos above Istanbul, Pune, Belo Horizonte, and Mumbai in the “Rising Stars” category, a segment that spotlights cities with speedy acceleration in innovation and venture value.

As stated in the report, “What sets Lagos apart is its ability to adapt quickly, develop locally relevant innovations, and scale despite systemic obstacles. This agility continues to propel the ecosystem forward, reinforcing the city’s status as a leading hub for technology and entrepreneurship in Africa.”

Lagos now holds an enterprise value of $15.3 billion, with five unicorns, and has achieved a threefold increase in unicorn production since the previous assessment period. 

Its cost of living was just 22% that of New York City, giving it a competitive edge for startup scalability. With a population of 21.3 million and a GDP per capita of $1,600, Lagos is working hard to overcome economic odds.

“While Lagos shows impressive growth, several challenges threaten to hinder sustained progress. Infrastructure remains a major concern-frequent power outages, high cost of data and unreliable internet can slow operations and increase costs. Additionally, talent retention is becoming an issue with relocation driven by working conditions and remuneration.” said Etemore Glover of the Impact Investors Foundation.

Nonetheless, Lagos is bolstering Africa’s innovation record. It is the only sub-Saharan African city featured at the top of any global category in the report, even outranking tech-forward cities like Johannesburg, Nairobi, and Cape Town.

For an ecosystem long overlooked in mainstream global innovation rankings, this is a commendable statement for Lagos State and its growth drive across the tech sector in 2025 and beyond.