The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has opened applications for its GITEX Nigeria 2025 Regional Roadshow, a national campaign to scout Nigeria’s most promising tech startups across all six geopolitical zones.

The roadshow serves as a precursor to the GITEX Nigeria 2025 Startup Festival, which will be held in Abuja from September 1 to 4, 2025.

The regional events are scheduled to run from June through August 2025 in Lagos, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Abuja FCT, Gombe, and Kano. Each of these cities will host startups from their respective regions, giving them a platform to present innovative, scalable solutions to local problems. The goal, according to NITDA, is to identify and empower bold local innovators whose solutions have the potential to shape Nigeria’s digital economy.

“This is your chance to nominate your startup, pitch your solution, and earn a spot at GITEX Nigeria 2025 in Abuja?Nigeria’s largest innovation showcase happening from September 1?4, 2025,” they stated

Applications are open to early-stage or growth-stage startups that are either already registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) or are currently in the process of registering. Sectors of interest for this edition of the roadshow include HealthTech, AgriTech, FinTech, Artificial Intelligence, EdTech, ClimateTech, and CreativeTech.

NITDA emphasized that the initiative is targeted at entrepreneurs developing technology that addresses real problems and can be expanded to reach broader markets.

Startups that emerge from each zonal pitch will be sponsored to exhibit at the GITEX Nigeria 2025 Startup Festival in Abuja. They will also have the opportunity to pitch their ideas before a panel of top ecosystem stakeholders, including tech investors, industry experts, government officials, and the media.

In addition to gaining national visibility, selected startups will be prepared for the possibility of showcasing at GITEX Global in Dubai — one of the world’s most influential technology trade shows.

Participation in the roadshow begins with a digital application through NITDA’s nomination portal. After submitting the form, applicants who are shortlisted will enter the GITEX Nigeria exhibitor pipeline and will be invited to pitch live at the roadshow event in their region. Top-performing startups from each zone will be offered sponsorship to the Abuja festival, subject to the terms and conditions of the program.

GITEX Nigeria was modeled after the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX), which has been held annually in Dubai since 1981. The global event is known for attracting multinational tech corporations, venture capitalists, governments, and startups from around the world. Nigeria has consistently participated in GITEX Global, with local startups and government officials using the platform to court investors and promote indigenous innovation.

Recognizing the value of international exposure and partnership opportunities, NITDA established GITEX Nigeria as a localized version of the Dubai tech showcase. The Abuja-based festival is designed to provide a similar experience for Nigerian startups by connecting them with policy leaders, investors, corporate partners, and international markets without the barrier of travel or visa restrictions.

The 2025 edition of the roadshow marks a continued effort to decentralize innovation and ensure that promising ideas from across Nigeria — not just the major tech hubs — are brought to the national stage. NITDA hopes to tap into untapped talent pools, broaden the base of digital entrepreneurship, and prepare Nigerian innovators for participation in the global tech economy by going into each geopolitical zone.

Lattice CEO Sarah Franklin says the only sustainable path through the AI revolution is one that centers on people — not algorithms.

Speaking at the SXSW London conference and later in an interview with TechCrunch, Franklin urged tech companies to adopt artificial intelligence with a deep sense of balance, warning that unchecked deployment of AI systems could erode trust, accelerate job losses, and alienate customers.

Her remarks come at a time when public anxiety over AI’s impact on jobs and society is reaching new heights. As companies roll out tools capable of generating content, making decisions, and even managing employees, concerns are growing about the mass displacement of workers, biased algorithms, and the lack of meaningful oversight.

“We put people first,” Franklin said of Lattice, the $3 billion performance management platform. “It’s important to ask yourself, ‘Are you building for the success of the AI first, or are you building for the success of the people and your customers first?’”

Franklin believes that while AI can enhance productivity, using it to replace human labor entirely — especially in fields rooted in relationships, trust, and creativity — is a short-sighted strategy. She warned that companies that automate for the sake of cost-cutting may soon find themselves out of step with customer expectations and internal culture.

Her position is not merely theoretical. Lattice has already introduced AI features, including an AI-powered HR agent that provides proactive insights and supports employees in one-on-one meetings. The company also offers tools for clients to build custom AI agents tailored to their business needs. However, even as Lattice embraces these innovations, Franklin insists that human oversight remains essential.

“You don’t want to trade out trust,” she said, emphasizing that trust — with both customers and employees — is the most important asset any business can cultivate in an AI-driven world.

Her appeal for balance lands amid growing concerns from policymakers, labor unions, and industry watchdogs about the social and economic risks of AI. In recent months, leaders from OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google have entertained calls for AI regulation, following growing concerns across various sectors that AI will eliminate creative and technical roles.

According to a 2024 report by the International Labour Organization, while AI may enhance certain types of work, it is already disrupting administrative jobs at scale and threatening income security for millions. In the U.S., the White House has launched an AI Safety Institute, and several states are considering laws that require transparency when companies deploy AI tools affecting workers’ livelihoods.

Franklin’s call for “checks and balances” echoes these broader efforts. She advocates for transparency about how AI is used, clear boundaries on its deployment, and above all, accountability. Leaders, she argues, must ensure that humans are ultimately responsible for what AI systems produce or influence.

“Otherwise, we are then in service of the AI, versus the AI being in service of us,” she said.

She also warned against blind faith in automation. “It’s a way to just have the regular checks and balances that we’re used to in our workforce,” she said, noting that over-reliance on AI without human judgment could weaken decision-making and degrade workplace dynamics.

For Franklin, the future belongs to companies that harness AI while preserving what she sees as irreplaceable: human connection, empathy, and trust.

“We all have a responsibility to make sure that we’re doing this for the people of society,” Franklin said. “Human connection cannot be replaced, and the winners are going to be the companies that understand that.”