Olowolafe Calls for Collaborative Investment to Build $1trn Digital Economy
Olowolafe Calls for Collaborative Investment to Build $1trn Digital Economy
The Chancellor of Ekiti State University and Chairman of the Tunji Olowolafe Foundation, Dr. Tunji Olowolafe, has called for deeper collaboration between government, industry stakeholders, and the academia to accelerate Nigeria’s transition into a trillion-dollar digital economy by 2030.
While delivering the keynote address at the opening session of the Digital Nigeria International Conference 2025, held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja, Dr. Olowolafe emphasised that “digital transformation is not a goal in itself, but the pathway to prosperity.”
The conference, themed “Discover. Connect. Transform.”, convened policymakers, innovators, investors, and technology leaders to discuss strategies for harnessing digital technology to power inclusive growth across Africa.
Olowolafe, who was represented at the event by Mr Olajide Aboderin, Director of GOMTECH ICT Centre, an initiative under the Tunji Olowolafe Foundation noted that the ICT sector, which contributed over 11% to Nigeria’s GDP in Q2 2025, has proven its potential as a driver of non-oil growth.
He urged both public and private sectors to “close the execution gap” by turning strategic plans into tangible outcomes.
Quoting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he reiterated that “data is our new gold”, citing Nigeria’s rapidly expanding $47 billion digital economy, powered by over 200 million mobile subscriptions and almost 50% internet penetration.
He drew parallels with India’s digital infrastructure model, which is projected to add nearly $1 trillion to India’s GDP by 2030, and emphasized that Nigeria could replicate similar results through integrated ID systems, e-government platforms, and widespread broadband connectivity.
Challenging the notion that Africa is merely a consumer of foreign technology, Olowolafe reminded participants of the continent’s deep-rooted tradition of innovation.
“Our tribal marks were early biometric identifiers, and the talking drum was a form of analog communication that transmitted complex messages across distances. Innovation has always been our heritage,” he said.
He called on Nigerian innovators to harness this same ingenuity to build technology “by African minds, for African needs.”
Olowolafe applauded the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, led by Dr. Bosun Tijani, for its five-year blueprint targeting the training of three million tech professionals by 2027 and raising digital literacy to 95% by 2030.
He also commended institutions such as National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) for creating the policy and regulatory foundation necessary to sustain digital growth and safeguard trust.
The NDPC, under Dr. Vincent Olatunji, he noted, now oversees over 33,000 registered data controllers, strengthening Nigeria’s digital rights and compliance ecosystem.
Announcing a key initiative by the Tunji Olowolafe Foundation, Dr. Olowolafe unveiled a blockchain-based tokenized credentials pilot aimed at tackling certificate fraud in the education sector.
“This project leverages blockchain’s immutability to secure student records and ensure compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023,” he explained, describing it as a model for data integrity and transparency in academic verification.
Olowolafe highlighted success stories across multiple sectors like Health, Agriculture, Finance, and Education.
He noted that Nigeria’s $1.5 billion digital health market is expanding through innovations like Care365 Health Hub, which uses AI-powered kiosks and telemedicine to improve healthcare access nationwide.
On agriculture, he noted that digital platforms like ThriveAgric have boosted farmer yields by 40% and incomes by 30% through data-driven solutions.
He highlighted the giant stride in fintech where four unicorns — Interswitch, Flutterwave, OPay, and Moniepoint have buttressed the fact that Nigeria remains Africa’s fintech powerhouse.
Dr. Olowolafe urged further efforts to include the 30% of Nigerians still excluded from financial systems.
On education, he noted that through institutions such as MiVA University, EKSU, and the Gbemi Olowolafe Memorial ICT Centre (GOMTECH), Nigeria is nurturing digital talent and democratizing knowledge from rural to urban communities.
Olowolafe cited the Gbemisola Olowolafe Memorial ICT Centre (GOMTECH) and the Gbemisola Olowolafe Memorial Community Secondary School (GOMCSS) in Are-Ekiti as a blueprint for sustainable, community-led digital inclusion.
Developed in partnership with the Are-Ekiti Progressive Union (APU), the twin institutions offer solar-powered learning, 24-hour satellite internet, and training in AI automation, blockchain, and cloud computing.
“GOMTECH is proof that technology need not be centralized. We aim to replicate this model nationwide, ensuring that access to digital opportunity becomes every Nigerian child’s right, not privilege,” he said.
In his closing remarks, Olowolafe issued a rallying “call to collaborative code,” urging the government to accelerate broadband access and integrate digital tools into key sectors; he called on the private sector to invest aggressively in digital talent and infrastructure while urging academia and youth to innovate solutions that strengthen Nigeria’s economy and self-reliance.
“When Nigerians invest in Nigeria—in data sovereignty, in daring partnerships—digital excellence will not be a conference; it will be our commonwealth,” he concluded
The Chancellor of Ekiti State University and Chairman of the Tunji Olowolafe Foundation, Dr. Tunji Olowolafe, has called for deeper collaboration between government, industry stakeholders, and the academia to accelerate
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