Nigeria must turn knowledge into scalable solutions, tech sovereignty – First Bank

The Chief Data Officer, First Bank Nigeria, Mr Steve Asemota, has urged Nigeria to turn knowledge and technology into scalable solutions that create economic opportunities and strengthen technology sovereignty.

Asemota made the call at the National Technology and Innovation Summit (NTIS) 2.0 in Lagos on Thursday.

He said that Nigeria must move beyond accumulating data, technology platforms and start-ups to building a knowledge-driven economy where knowledge was converted into practical solutions, improved livelihoods and wealth creation.

According to him, the real measure of a knowledge-driven economy is not the number of databases, technology platforms or start-ups created, but the ability to apply knowledge to solve problems and build useful products.

He identified innovation, scale and technology sovereignty as three interconnected pillars needed to build a sustainable knowledge economy in Nigeria and Africa.

“Innovation turns knowledge into useful solutions. Scale makes that solution dependable and widely available. Technology sovereignty gives us the capability and meaningful choice to sustain it,” Asemota said.

He urged researchers, entrepreneurs and policymakers to focus innovation on solving real problems rather than pursuing technology for its own sake.

The First Bank executive said that solutions should be designed for scale from the outset, taking into account affordability, infrastructure, connectivity, language diversity, inclusion, maintenance, interoperability and sustainable business models.

On technology sovereignty, he described it as “the power to choose”, rather than an attempt to build every technology locally or isolate Nigeria from international partnerships.

According to him, true sovereignty requires the capacity to understand, secure, monitor and maintain critical digital systems and data, and move them between providers when necessary.

“Strategic independence does not equal isolation. It is the ability to cooperate without becoming dependent,” he said.

Asemota also called for stronger data governance and responsible deployment of artificial intelligence (AI).

He warned that AI systems could reproduce biases in their training data or produce unreliable results when deployed in unfamiliar environments.

Asemota advocated increased investment in technical skills, education, research-industry collaboration and shared digital infrastructure.

He also urged government to use procurement as a pathway for proven innovations to move from research and pilot stages into sustained adoption.

Asemota said that progress should be measured by affordability, accessibility, reliability, safety and the capacity of local teams to maintain and improve technologies, rather than by the number of technology unveiled, downloaded or partnerships.

He challenged stakeholders to leave the summit with one problem worth solving, one complementary partner and one capability to build, with clear responsibility and measurable outcomes.

He said that Nigeria should remain open to global knowledge while developing the capacity to shape its technological future by turning “knowledge into solutions, solutions into opportunities, and curiosity into the freedom to shape its future.”

Also speaking, Dr Jonas Nzeagwu, Director-General, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), called for stronger compliance with government policies and better understanding of the distinct roles of intellectual property-related agencies.

Nzeagwu said that government policies were designed to promote national development and support local businesses, but their effectiveness was often undermined by poor compliance.

He urged local companies to comply with regulations, particularly agreements requiring them to remit stipulated percentages to Nigerian partners, and to report challenges rather than circumventing established rules.

On concerns over overlapping mandates among agencies, the DG said that the organisations had distinct responsibilities established by their respective laws.

He explained that the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) was responsible for Information and Communication Technology infrastructure and related matters, while NOTAP focused on the inflow of foreign technology across sectors and technology transfer.

Nzeagwu clarified that NOTAP did not register patents, saying that patent registration was handled by the relevant agency under the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.

He said that NOTAP supported Nigerian researchers and inventors by helping them evaluate innovations and develop distinctive patent claims before applications were submitted for registration.

According to him, the agency does not issue patent certificates but provides technical support to innovators during the patent application process.

He also distinguished the roles of NOTAP and the Nigerian Copyright Commission, noting that software in Nigeria was protected through copyright registration rather than patent registration.

Nzeagwu said that the agencies therefore, had clearly defined mandates, adding that perceived regulatory overlap was largely due to misunderstanding of their respective functions.

On intellectual property enforcement, he said that the primary responsibility rested with the owner of the intellectual property, urging innovators and businesses to take appropriate steps to protect and enforce their rights.

It was reported that NTIS 2.0 is a two-day summit organised by NOTAP, with the theme, “From Research to Wealth: Strengthening Innovation, Commercialisation and Technology Sovereignty in Nigeria.”