FUTURE ECONOMY CONFERENCE

Leading with Technology. Transforming Economies. Shaping the Future.

3-4 September 2025
Eko Hotel Convention Centre, Lagos

We stand at an inflection point where technological adoption transitions from competitive advantage to existential necessity. Legacy industries face obsolescence while agile corporations leverage technology to redefine services and operations. The coming decade will separate regional champions from marginalized players through three unforgiving filters: mastery of cyber-physical systems, creation of indigenous intellectual property, and ruthless optimization of digital talent pipelines. Those who implement rather than innovate risk permanent dependence. True market leadership now requires dual transformation - automating existing operations while incubating new digital revenue streams. The winners will be those who treat technology not as cost center but as core competency, embedding it throughout organizational culture from boardroom strategy to frontline execution. This is no longer about keeping pace but setting it - where first-movers capture entire ecosystems and late adopters face irrelevance.

11:10 - 11:25 Fireside Chat

15 Minutes

Redefining Africa’s Tech Sovereignty: The Lagos Mandate

Setting the scene, this visionary session explores the "Lagos Mandate," a comprehensive approach to leading and achieving digital sovereignty in Africa. Topics include policy reforms, investment in digital infrastructure, and promoting indigenous tech solutions. By examining Lagos' role in this transformative journey, attendees will gain insights into the broader implications for Africa's digital future.

11:40 - 12:25 Panel

45 Minutes

The New Geopolitics of Tech

As tech decoupling accelerates and digital protectionism tightens, Africa faces a trillion-dollar question: Will it remain a foreign tech buyer or become a global solution creator? Trade wars over semiconductors, AI governance, and cloud infrastructure are fracturing the rules-based order—forcing nations to pick sides. Yet Africa's leverage is real: its market of 1.4 billion users dictates terms for any company seeking growth. We can exploit this moment using local content laws, strategic alliances, and homegrown R&D to shift from dependency to co-creation. The alternative? Perpetual client-state status in a volatile digital cold war.

12:25 - 13:10 Panel

45 Minutes

‘The Big Push’ for Infrastructure and Next-Gen Connectivity

Africa’s digital growth depends on the strength and reach of its connectivity infrastructure. As demand for high-speed access accelerates—from smart cities to cloud-based enterprise tools—investments in broadband, fibre networks, and mobile towers are unlocking new possibilities. In Nigeria, expanding access could add up to $179 billion to GDP, according to the World Bank. This session explores how next-gen infrastructure fuels innovation, enhances productivity and brings emerging technologies like AI, IoT, and real-time analytics to life. The conversation will spotlight strategic partnerships and national efforts to future-proof digital access while closing connectivity gaps at scale.

Moderator: Eniola Mafe-Abaga, Global Advocacy and Partnerships Director, Bridges to Prosperity, Nigeria

13:10 - 13:50 Panel

40 Minutes

Energy Tech’s Make-or-Break Decade

According to S&P Global, the rise of global investment in clean energy technologies is projected to surpass upstream oil and gas for the first time this year. This leaves Africa with a choice: to embrace innovation or risk stagnation. In this session, experts will provide an in-depth and strategic overview of how the continent should use and develop technology to harness its resources to reform traditional energy systems through renewable energy adoption, smart grids, and energy storage solutions.

13:50 - 14:20

30 Minutes

Break

14:20 - 14:55 Fireside Chat

35 Minutes

Lagos 2.0—Engineered for Innovation and Intelligent Governance

How will AI, big data, and real-time analytics reimagine public services, infrastructure, and policymaking? From traffic flow to waste management, education to energy, intelligent systems offer the potential to optimise services and improve urban life at scale. However, data-driven innovation also demands trust, regulation, and security. This conversation dives into how Lagos can build a future where innovation is inclusive, government is adaptive, and the city becomes a continental testbed for visionary governance and digital infrastructure.

14:55 - 15:30 Fireside Chat

35 Minutes

Africa, Digital by Default: Investing in Tech Development and Adoption

Africa’s digital transformation is accelerating, but scaling it equitably requires strategic, long-term capital. While internet penetration in Sub-Saharan Africa remains low, projections show mobile internet users will surpass 613m this year, unlocking a trillion-dollar digital economy. However, bridging the infrastructure and adoption gap demands an estimated $109 billion annual investment across broadband, data centres, fintech rails, and digital public goods. This session explores how targeted investment in Africa’s digital development can yield mass inclusive growth, positioning digital infrastructure as both a market opportunity and a macroeconomic imperative.

Panellist: Daren Guo, Co-founder, Reap, Hong Kong

Panellist: Omobola Johnson, Senior Partner, TLCom, Nigeria

15:30 - 16:15 Panel

45 Minutes

Acres, Tech and the Multi-billion Dollar Bet

In 2024, Nigeria spent $4.7 billion importing food; now authorities are set on reducing this bill, as agritech offers a pathway for 'self-sufficiency'. In this session, experts discuss the trajectory and impact of increased investments, specifically in light of the AfDB's mobilisation of $2.2 billion to develop agricultural processing zones throughout the country. How will innovation and investment enhance productivity to position the nation as a leader in the global agritech landscape?

Panellist: Uyoyo Edosio, Chief ICT and Innovation Expert, African Development Bank Group, Côte d'Ivoire

16:15 - 17:00 Panel

45 Minutes

Cyber Resilience as a Competitive Advantage

With African businesses losing $4.1 billion annually to cybercrime, digital defence has evolved from an IT concern to an existential boardroom priority. But true resilience isn't just about firewalls; it's about rebuilding organisational DNA around threat intelligence, zero-trust architectures, and cyber talent pipelines. Leading enterprises (from banks to telcos) are turning security into market differentiation while exposing the cost of complacency in an era of AI-powered attacks. The lesson? The most secure companies will own valuable customer relationships in today's economy.

Panellist: Folorunso Aliu, Group CIO, Dangote Group, Nigeria

Panellist: Dr. Harrison Nnaji, Group Chief Information Security Officer, Nigeria

17:00

Close

10:30 - 10:40

10 Minutes

Welcome

10:40 - 11:15 Fireside Chat

35 Minutes

54 Puzzle Pieces—Unifying and Scaling African Markets

Africa is not one market—it's many, and navigating them means contending with different currencies, regulations, tax regimes, consumer behaviours and tech infrastructure. Yet, the opportunity is massive: $450b in income by 2035, fueled by 'offline' and 'online' intra-African trade. This session explores how startups, corporations and regulators are solving for cross-border complexity—unlocking scale, interoperability, and the promise of a truly connected African economy.

11:15 - 11:30 Fireside Chat

15 Minutes

UK Trade Envoy Session – TITLE TBC

Session Description – TBC

Speaker: Florence Eshalomi, MP & Chairwoman, House of Commons, United Kingdom

11:30 - 12:05 Fireside Chat

35 Minutes

Helping Corporate Africa Take a Digital Leap

Legacy industries face a brutal truth: digitise or die. Yet 68% of African corporate transformations fail, not from lack of vision but execution inertia. Let's crack the code on successful pivots, featuring hard-won lessons from CEOs reinventing banking, agriculture, and logistics for the digital age. Let's confront the cultural roadblocks, talent gaps, and investor myopia stifling change and reveal how industry leaders are rewriting the rules. The goal? A playbook for turning incumbents into innovators without burning the house down.

Panellist: Serkan Çelik, CEO for Turkey, Africa, Egypt & CIS, Redington Group, Türkiye

12:05 - 12:50 Panel

45 Minutes

Digital Sovereignty in a Globalised World

Africa’s digital transformation must be grounded in secure, equitable data ownership. Nigeria’s 2023 Data Protection Act enhances sovereignty, complementing investments in local cloud infrastructure and national IDs. Yet less than 2% of Africa’s data is stored on the continent, highlighting the need for strong regulation and infrastructure amid global partnerships. With more countries using digital ID systems and biometric data—interoperability is vital. This session explores how Nigeria can balance international collaboration with national control to ensure data-driven growth while safeguarding digital autonomy, economic resilience, and national trust.

Panellist: Lars Johannisson, Chief Executive Officer, Rack Centre, Nigeria

12:50 - 13:20 Fireside Chat

30 Minutes

Breaking the Hardware Dependency Cycle

Africa imports 92% of its tech hardware, a $50 billion annual leakage that stifles sovereignty and innovation. However, a new wave of local manufacturing is emerging from Lagos' drone factories to Kenya's solar microgrids. Effective policy shifts, investment models, and skills revolutions are needed to scale these pockets of excellence into continental supply chains. Key question: Can Africa leverage its mineral wealth (lithium, cobalt, silicon) to move from assembly lines to full-stack production, or will we remain forever dependent on foreign chips and devices?

Moderator: Eunice Afolabi, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Adler Technology, Nigeria

13:20 - 13:50

30 Minutes

Break

13:50 - 14:25 Fireside Chat

35 Minutes

E-commerce, The Nigerian Way

Nigeria’s e-commerce sector is more than a marketplace—it’s a movement redefining trade, trust, and technology. With projections suggesting the market could surpass $22 billion by 2030, this session explores how local innovation is reshaping logistics, payments, and cross-border commerce. From last-mile delivery hacks to digital trust systems and regional trade playbooks, we examine what makes Nigeria’s model distinct—and scalable. As connectivity, fintech, and urbanisation converge, panellists will unpack how e-commerce is fuelling GDP growth and carving out a bold, homegrown blueprint for the future of retail and inclusion across Africa.

Panellist: Temidayo Ojo, CEO, Jumia Nigeria, Nigeria

14:25 - 15:10 Panel

45 Minutes

The Future of Money: Inclusivity is Good Business

From mobile wallets to digital currencies, the most forward-thinking institutions are betting on inclusion, not as charity, but as strategy. With millions still unbanked or underbanked, digital finance offers a gateway to reach hard-to-reach communities at scale. In this session, speakers highlight how financial institutions, innovators and regulators collaborate to build a robust, practical and accessible financial ecosystem for all.

Moderator: Theo Okafor, Director, Senior Tech Lead, Raiffeisen Bank International AG., Austria

Panellist: Raliat Sunmonu, VP Africa, Accion, Nigeria

15:10 - 15:55 Panel

45 Minutes

A Roadmap for AI Leadership

Nigeria's National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (NAIS) outlines a comprehensive, five-pillared plan to position the country as a leader in AI-driven innovation. In this session, thought-leaders look at the four-year plan to determine the progress made, where Nigeria lags, and opportunities to effectively implement the plan to foster sustainable AI leadership and development.

Moderator: Olubayo Adekanmbi, Founder & CEO, Data Science Nigeria, Nigeria

Panellist: Lola Aworanti-Ekugo, Member of the Board of Advisors, AI In Nigeria, Nigeria

Panellist: Uyoyo Edosio, Chief ICT and Innovation Expert, African Development Bank Group, Côte d'Ivoire

15:55 - 16:40 Panel

45 Minutes

Read. Know. Rule—Rethinking Education for an Inclusive Talent Pipeline

Talent is Africa’s greatest resource—but only if we reimagine how it’s nurtured. From under-resourced classrooms to informal learning communities, the continent is brimming with untapped genius. With over 375 million African youth entering the workforce by 2030, the urgency to build future-ready education systems has never been greater. This session explores how public–private partnerships, edtech innovation, and systems reform can rewire the learning experience to bridge the gap between potential and opportunity. It's not just about skills—it’s about building structures that equip every learner to read, know, and rule their future.

Panellist: Tunde Onakoya, CEO & Founder, Chess in Slums Africa, Nigeria

Panellist: Charles Uchenna Emembolu, Chairman of the Board & Director for Partnerships, ISN Hubs, Nigeria

16:40 - 17:30 Panel

50 Minutes

HippocraTech—The Promise of AI and Telemedicine

The way we experience healthcare is changing fast as technology shapes our experiences. With 32% of AI health applications in Sub-Saharan Africa already dedicated to telemedicine, digital interventions are no longer an experiment—they’re the new normal. In Nigeria, where access remains uneven, AI-driven imaging, virtual care platforms, and chatbot triage systems are increasing. In this session, our experts unpack the ethical, regulatory, and technical shifts behind these trends and examine the promise of a more connected and equitable healthcare system.

Moderator: Dr Mories Atoki, CEO, ABCHealth, Nigeria

17:30

Close

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