The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, stated this at GITEX summit in Lagos.

Inuwa said the emerging global economy would increasingly be driven by human intelligence, creativity, knowledge and the ability to solve complex problems.

According to him, Nigeria’s greatest asset is its people, making digital literacy, talent development and investment in deep-tech research critical to the country’s economic transformation agenda.

The NITDA boss highlighted Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, blockchain, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and additive manufacturing as key technologies capable of improving productivity and creating new economic opportunities across different sectors.

He said Nigeria was building the capacity required to harness these emerging technologies and strengthen its position in the global digital economy.

According to Inuwa, the country’s ambition is to build a Nigeria that does not merely adopt technologies developed elsewhere but actively creates, scales and exports innovative solutions to global markets.

He added that strengthening Nigeria’s innovation and technology ecosystem would be crucial to ensuring that the country plays a significant role in shaping the future economy.

Nigeria’s delegation comprised eight entrepreneurs, seven of whom were beneficiaries of NBTI’s Technology Incubation Programme.

The Nigerian team emerged winner of the Innovation Growth Category, while Fatima Zara Uthman, Founder and CEO of Nature Sleek and an entrepreneur from the NBTI Technology Incubation Centre in Niger State, emerged the overall winner of the Beauty and Skincare Category.

The championship attracted more than 4,000 startups from over 40 countries, providing entrepreneurs with an international platform to showcase their innovations to industry experts, academics, venture capitalists and other key stakeholders.

The Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of NBTI, Dr. Kazeem Kolawole Raji, commended the Nigerian entrepreneurs for their performance, particularly in market acceptability, sustainability, validation and certification.

Raji described the achievement as evidence of the capacity of Nigerian innovators to compete successfully on the global stage.

According to him, the feat also validates NBTI’s interventions in technology incubation, enterprise development and capacity building aimed at transforming innovative ideas into viable, sustainable and scalable businesses.

He attributed the success to the dedication and innovative capacity of the entrepreneurs, as well as the efforts of NBTI’s Technology Incubation Centres in preparing Nigerian enterprises for opportunities beyond the country.

The NBTI boss congratulated Zara and the other supported entrepreneurs, saying their achievement further strengthens Nigeria’s position in the global innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

He also reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to expanding its incubation ecosystem and creating more opportunities for Nigerian innovators to access global markets, technical expertise, investment, mentorship and strategic partnerships.

Raji urged the winners to see the recognition as a platform to scale their businesses, create opportunities for others and contribute to Nigeria’s economic and technological development.