Women leaders in Nigeria’s technology and engineering ecosystem have called for increased investment in artificial intelligence, digital skills development and innovation funding, saying stronger support is needed to help more women participate in the country’s growing tech economy.
The call was made during the fifth edition of the Women in Technology and Engineering Summit and Awards (WITESA), held in Lagos, where government officials, industry leaders and innovators discussed strategies for building a more inclusive technology ecosystem.
Representing Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the event, the Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Olatunbosun Alake, identified inadequate funding and limited access to technical resources as some of the biggest challenges preventing women from scaling innovative technology solutions.
According to him, the Lagos State Government has continued to strengthen partnerships aimed at supporting women-led technology initiatives through research and innovation programmes.
“One of the biggest challenges in the sector is providing women with the tools and funding needed to build impactful solutions. Through the Lagos State Science, Research and Innovation Council, we are supporting projects where women are solving real-world problems,” Alake said.
Although the state has already secured millions of naira to fund women focused initiatives, he acknowledged that current resources fall short of the growing demand for technology education, entrepreneurship and innovation.
“We have raised funding running into millions, but that is still far from enough. The ecosystem requires billions to support multiple innovation projects, technology training and capacity-building programmes. We are currently collaborating with training institutions and financial organisations to expand access to funding,” he added.
Alake also stressed that Nigeria’s expanding digital economy requires a much larger pool of skilled technology professionals.
“Our economy needs more software developers, engineers, AI specialists and technology entrepreneurs. Even financial institutions are struggling to fill technology roles because of talent shortages. Massive investment in training remains the only sustainable solution,” he said.
Beyond funding, the commissioner said Nigeria must also prioritise artificial intelligence infrastructure, particularly by investing in computing capacity and stable electricity needed to support locally developed AI systems.
He explained that while global AI models continue to grow rapidly, Nigeria must begin developing indigenous large language models capable of addressing local challenges and reflecting African contexts.
“Power infrastructure is critical. We already have access to global AI models, but the bigger challenge is building models that understand our local realities. That requires reliable electricity and computing infrastructure,” Alake noted.
He pointed to Lagos State’s recent investment in digital infrastructure, including the launch of a 40-megawatt data centre at the Kasi Cloud campus in Lekki, which provides local GPU capacity for AI developers building machine learning models within Nigeria.
According to him, more infrastructure projects are expected as the state positions itself as one of Africa’s emerging AI innovation hubs.
Speaking on the significance of the summit, Chief Executive Officer of Womenovate and Convener of WITESA, Motunrayo Opayinka, described Lagos as the ideal location for advancing conversations around women, innovation and technology because of its growing reputation as Nigeria’s technology capital.
“This fifth edition reflects how far the ecosystem has come. Lagos remains the Silicon Valley of Nigeria and one of Africa’s leading innovation centres, making it the perfect place for this conversation,” she said.
Opayinka noted that diversity has become essential to building better technology products, arguing that innovation is stronger when women actively contribute to designing solutions that address the needs of broader society.
“Inclusion is no longer optional. Technology and engineering must reflect the diversity of the people they serve. Women bring unique perspectives that improve innovation, and that is why intentional inclusion is so important,” she said.
She added that the summit’s awards segment was designed to recognise outstanding women making significant contributions across technology, engineering and STEM while inspiring younger girls to pursue careers in science and innovation.
“We believe role models matter. When young girls see women succeeding in technology and engineering, they begin to believe those careers are possible for them too,” Opayinka said.
While acknowledging gradual progress in reducing gender disparities across the technology industry, she said closing the gap would require sustained collaboration between government, private organisations and ecosystem stakeholders.
According to participants, expanding access to funding, AI education, digital infrastructure and mentorship will be critical to ensuring that more Nigerian women play leading roles in shaping the country’s technology future.
