According to a report by This Day Live, Yesh Surjoodeen, HP’s Managing Director for Southern Africa, believes that Nigeria’s growing young population, interest in technology, and entrepreneurial spirit will lead to the implementation of an IT-focused economic model across various sectors in the coming years.
Surjoodeen states that with the right investments, Nigeria can achieve the success of Kenya’s “Silicon Savannah,” and even surpass it. He attributes Nigeria’s potential to its successful startups, technological development, and innovation centers across the country. He also appreciates the country’s contributions to job creation and its impact on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in these areas. According to him, the government’s and sub-national authorities’ efforts in supporting this success cannot be overlooked.
“With its huge population of over 230 million and a culture deeply rooted in determination and resilience, the country is well positioned to be the West African tech hub. Quite significantly, most of these start-ups and tech hubs are located in Lagos, the only African city ranked in the Global Top 100 Start-up Ecosystems by Startup Link in 2024. The city is also home to five of the seven tech unicorns in Africa, evidenced by companies such as HP, which are committed to advancing digital equity and driving the economy forward using technology,” he said.
“It is gratifying to note that despite the inclement economic climate in the country, there is a growing number of tech companies that are regularly innovating to be able to deliver quality services using cutting-edge technology in a country that is getting more and more sophisticated in its demands. We see digital innovations in areas such as commerce, agriculture, education, health, finance, banking, insurance, and payment systems. Service providers are using digital platforms to deliver services in these sectors in a manner that was previously considered far-fetched,” he added.
He also highlighted the critical importance of the National Digital Economy Bill, which is expected to positively impact Nigeria’s digital economy. Surjoodeen emphasized that the country’s young population is the key factor in unlocking Nigeria’s digital future.