Women in tech seek funding, inclusion in AI ecosystem
June 26, 2026 1:03 am
File: Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu
Women in technology and engineering have called for greater funding, skills development and inclusion in emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, as stakeholders gathered in Lagos to celebrate outstanding achievements at the fifth Women in Technology and Engineering Summit and Awards.
Speaking at the event held in Lagos on Tuesday, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Olatunbosun Alake, said limited access to funding and technical tools remained major barriers facing women innovators and engineers.
Alake said the Lagos State Government was expanding partnerships to support women-led technology projects and solutions.
“I think part of the challenges within the sector would be just the availability of tools and funding for women to be able to drive solution sets. One of the things we’ve done in Lagos State is to launch the Science, Research, and Innovation Council. We particularly focus on areas where women can solve problems,” Alake said.
He noted that although the state had secured funding running into millions for women-focused initiatives, the resources available were still inadequate to meet growing demand.
“We have raised some funding in the millions for women, but it’s still not enough. You need billions to be able to fund multiple projects, training programmes and things like that. Right now, we are trying to work with training partners and a few banks to be able to raise funds for the training of girls and men as well,” Alake said.
According to him, Lagos requires massive investment in talent development to meet the increasing demand for technology professionals across industries.
“Because our society needs a lot of tech entrepreneurs, we need a lot of tech workers, even in the banks. So, the banks also see it as an existential issue. A lot of their staff have left. They need more people. So, we need massive funds for training. I think that’s the only way we’ll be able to do it,” Alake said.
The commissioner also highlighted the need to strengthen Nigeria’s artificial intelligence ecosystem through investment in infrastructure, local innovation and power supply.
Speaking on AI development in the country, he said the focus should be on training, local use cases and building infrastructure capable of supporting indigenous AI models.
“I think the third one is about power. Power is very important for us to be able to localise our own large language models. Large language models are abundant globally, but do those really serve our local context? That conversation is going on now about how to make the power available so that we can localise our own large language models, which will be useful,” Alake said.
He added that Lagos was positioning itself as a hub for AI innovation through investments in digital infrastructure.
“About three weeks ago, the governor launched a 40-megawatt data centre at the Kasi Cloud data centre campus located in the Maiyegun area of Lekki, Lagos. They have GPU capacity. People looking to build AI models can actually utilise a local GPU cluster right here in Lagos. And more are coming. We are trying to facilitate, to enable, and also to invest in the infrastructure that will allow us to build those AI solutions for us,” Alake said.
Speaking on the significance of the summit, the Chief Executive Officer of Womenovate and Convener of WITESA, Motunrayo Opayinka, said the gathering is focused on advancing inclusion and showcasing women making significant contributions to technology and engineering.
Opayinka described Lagos as the ideal host for the event because of its status as a leading innovation hub on the continent.
“Being the fifth edition, we’re happy to be here in Lagos. Lagos State is hosting us for this fifth edition of WITESA 5.0. This is key in the journey of the vision because we are showcasing the ecosystem. Lagos being the Silicon Valley of the continent and Nigeria, it’s the best location for us to have had this,” Opayinka said.
She stressed that inclusion had become essential to developing technology solutions that reflect the needs of diverse users.
“We know that inclusion is not a nice thing to have anymore. It is a necessity. Technology and engineering and STEM as a whole are to be inclusive. Inclusive in the sense that the solutions that get profit from that is robust and speak to the needs of the people as opposed to just one-sided. Women play a critical role in that. Inclusivity is key for us,” Opayinka said.
She added that the awards were designed to spotlight successful women in the sector and inspire younger generations to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“Also, we want to use this platform to showcase notable females who are doing great things within that sector, so that the younger ones can see that. We believe very strongly in role modelling. Seeing is believing. The young ones can see and aspire and be inspired equally,” Opayinka added.
She acknowledged that progress was being made in narrowing the gender gap in technology, but said more work remained to be done: “The ecosystem as a whole is advancing gradually, perhaps not as fast as we expect it to be. Gender gap is not just a Nigerian issue or an African issue. It’s a global issue overall. We’re glad we have organisations like Womenovate and other ecosystem players that are intentionally working to close this gender gap through avenues like this.”
Arinze Nwafor is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with five years of experience reporting on Nigeria’s economy, industry, data, metro, and judiciary. He focuses on highlighting growth, policy, and market challenges shaping Africa’s largest economy. Arinze’s reporting reflects practical newsroom experience, editorial judgment, and a strong commitment to accurate, informative, and audience-focused journalism.
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