Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, has said government must evolve from being merely a regulator to becoming an enabler and platform for technology, innovation and digital transformation to thrive across Africa.
Hamzat made the submission while delivering the keynote address at the fifth edition of TeXcellence, held at the Landmark Event Centre, Lagos, on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. The conference, themed “Accelerating Africa’s Digital Future,” was organised by Computer Warehouse Group (CWG).
Hamzat, speaking on the theme “The Enabling State: What Government Must Become for Technology to Scale,” argued that Africa does not suffer from an innovation deficit but from the inability to scale successful innovations. He said government occupies a critical position in closing the gap between promising ideas and technologies capable of serving millions of people, stressing that government can either become a bottleneck or provide the platform required for innovation to flourish.
The Deputy Governor highlighted several measures undertaken by the Lagos State Government to build the infrastructure required for digital growth. He disclosed that about 3,000 kilometres of shared ducts and fibre had been laid under an open-access model, with a further $22 million invested towards an integrated 6,000-kilometre network connected to international submarine cables.
He added that more than 6.4 million residents had been enrolled in the Lagos resident identity system, while smart cameras had been deployed across major roads to strengthen traffic monitoring and management.
According to Hamzat, Lagos is also pursuing greater predictability in government services through digitalisation, citing the Electronic Physical Planning Permit System launched in April 2026.
He said the system allows planning permits to be processed online and tracked in real time, while mortgage consent processing had been reduced from 29 manual steps to eight without an increase in statutory fees. He further disclosed that the Lagos State Science Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC) had supported 80 researchers and more than 75 startups, with about N1 billion available in grants for innovators.
The Deputy Governor also challenged the private sector to invest more aggressively in skills, infrastructure and locally developed intellectual property, particularly in sectors such as agriculture, logistics, healthcare, energy and the informal economy.
He said Lagos was committed to encouraging more young people to embrace technology so that the state could provide the skilled workforce required by global technology companies. He also called for stronger partnerships between technology companies and universities to develop systems and artificial intelligence solutions capable of reflecting African languages and realities.
Hamzat concluded by proposing a measurable compact between government and the private sector, centred on connectivity, digital identity, data exchange, transparent regulations, skills development, job creation and locally owned intellectual property.
He said the success of digital transformation should not be measured by the number of launches, summits or memoranda of understanding, but by how many citizens a service reaches, the time and money it saves, and the number of jobs it creates.
Hamzat stressed that Lagos had begun building the necessary digital system but could not complete the task alone, calling for sustained collaboration between government and business to accelerate Africa’s digital future.