{
  "id": 14918405,
  "title": "Hamzat: African Govts, Private Sector Must Increase Investment in Digital Infrastructure",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/hamzat-african-govts-private-sector-must-increase-investment-in",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-16T09:21:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "This Day",
    "slug": "this-day",
    "url": "https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/10/16/hamzat-african-govts-private-sector-must-increase-investment-in-digital-infrastructure/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Kadri Hamzat, has called for increased investment from African governments and private enterprises in digital infrastructure, asserting that the continent's main challenge in technological advancement lies not in a lack of innovation, but in the inability to scale successful ideas to millions. Speaking at the Texcellence summit in Lagos, Hamzat emphasized the need for governments to dismantle bureaucratic hurdles, establish consistent policies, and implement institutional reforms to help technology-driven businesses flourish and deliver economic and social benefits on a large scale. The summit, themed 'Accelerating Africa's Digital Future Lacks Direction and a Sustained Force,' gathered stakeholders to explore ways to bolster the continent's digital economy. Texcellence, an annual tech conference, drew international speakers from countries such as Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa. Hamzat highlighted that African nations lack an innovation problem but rather a scaling problem, which applies to all sectors. He used the example of CWG, a Nigerian tech firm founded in 1992, to illustrate how businesses can prosper in a conducive environment. CWG grew from a computer warehouse with six employees to a listed company on the Nigerian Exchange Limited, with subsidiaries in Ghana and Uganda and customers across the continent. Hamzat revealed that Lagos had implemented a shared fiber-optic infrastructure model, laid approximately 3,000 kilometers of fiber, and plans to extend the network to 6,000 kilometers with further $22 million investment. Additionally, over seven million residents in the state have registered for the residents' identity management system, while smart cameras along key roads aid in traffic monitoring. To enhance the business environment, Hamzat announced the introduction of an electronic physical planning permit system, which had streamlined the permit process from 29 steps to seven without raising statutory fees. The council supporting research and innovation in Lagos State has backed 18 researchers and over 75 start-ups, and the government is considering legislation to allocate a set proportion of its annual budget to research, development, and innovation. CWG's founder and Texcellence host, Austin Okere, explained that the desire to address poor customer service and unreliable technology delivery motivated him to establish the company, which has grown into a significant player in Nigeria's IT sector. Okere expressed that the company's dedication to developing Nigeria's technology industry led to the creation of the CWG Academy, a training program for professionals not only within the company but also for its customers and competitors. Mr. Afolabi Sobande, CWG's Chief Operating Officer, stressed the importance of investing in indigenous technology development, arguing that Africa possesses the capability to create solutions for its challenges instead of solely relying on imported technologies.",
  "summary": "Kayode Tokede The Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Kadri Hamzat, has demanded of African governments and the private sector to increase investment in digital infrastructure, stressing that the continent’s major",
  "key_points": [
    "African governments and private sector must invest more in digital infrastructure.",
    "Scaling successful ideas to millions is main technological challenge in Africa.",
    "Lagos implemented fiber-optic infrastructure, identity system, and smart cameras."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}