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Abdulazeez Abubakar
1 day ago
Overview
Smart-City: Lagos pushes digital governance, targets AI, cybersecurity, innovation funding
The Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, has unveiled an ambitious technology-driven governance agenda aimed at transforming the State into a globally competitive smart city through artificial intelligence, digital governance, cybersecurity expansion and innovation funding.
Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Tubosun Alake, who disclosed this on Wednesday, at the 2026 ministerial press briefing, held in Alausa, Ikeja, outlined sweeping reforms and strategic interventions designed to strengthen public service delivery, improve security architecture and accelerate the state’s digital economy agenda.
He said the vision is to position Lagos as a model state through the innovative application of science and technology, while leveraging digitisation to improve governance, revenue generation and the quality of life of residents.
A major highlight of the briefing was the expansion of the state’s Safe City initiative, which deploys intelligent video surveillance systems and digital traffic enforcement infrastructure across critical locations in Lagos.
According to the presentation, over 737,000 traffic violations have been recorded to date through the Intelligent Transport System, with officials reporting improved road-user compliance and behavioural changes exceeding 50 per cent in monitored corridors.
The ministry disclosed that the technology-backed surveillance initiative has also contributed to crime detection and emergency response coordination across the state.
In a significant push toward integrated governance, the state government revealed that 192 Ministries, Departments and Agencies out of 211 MDAs had been evaluated under its Enterprise Architecture framework, with 232 application workloads captured as part of efforts to standardise processes, reduce IT costs and improve inter-agency efficiency.
The commissioner explained that the initiative would provide a unified digital infrastructure capable of supporting investor engagement, citizen interaction and data-driven governance while facilitating stronger collaboration with private-sector technology stakeholders
He also highlighted growing adoption of e-governance tools, noting that the Lagos State Digital Service Platform currently attracts about 250,000 visitors monthly.
As part of its emerging technology strategy, Alake announced ongoing integration of artificial intelligence into government services, including the rollout of AI guidelines and the development of AI-powered chatbots to improve public interaction with government institutions.
He added that the state also formally launched an AI Guideline Portal as part of its broader digital governance framework.
Speaking on innovation ecosystem development, Alake spotlighted the annual Art of Technology Lagos conference, describing it as a strategic platform connecting policymakers, investors, startups and technology experts toward building a smarter Lagos economy.
Data presented during the briefing showed that the conference has attracted participants from more than 140 countries over the years, generating policy discussions around startup funding, artificial intelligence, talent acceleration and the creative economy.
On cybersecurity, he revealed that Lagos records thousands of malicious cyberattack attempts monthly, adding that two recent data exfiltration attempts were successfully neutralised by the state’s cybersecurity team.
To further strengthen digital resilience, Alake said the State is establishing a Cybersecurity Operations Centre while intensifying collaboration with international partners and private-sector institutions on cyber defence and capacity building initiatives.
He also underscored its commitment to data privacy and compliance, revealing that Lagos currently has 109 Data Protection Officers across government institutions and has completed data protection audits in 30 MDAs in line with regulatory requirements of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.
Further reinforcing the state’s digital infrastructure agenda, he disclosed that the Lagos State Government Campus Network Upgrade project is underway to deliver faster, safer and more efficient government operations through enhanced connectivity and automation.
The briefing also highlighted the expanding role of the Lagos State Science Research and Innovation Council in supporting startups and scientific innovation.
According to him, over ₦900 million in research grants have been deployed to support more than 75 startups and innovation-focused initiatives.
Alake added that more than 240 applications are currently being processed under the council’s 2026 innovation funding cycle.
Meanwhile, Alake revealed that the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency, LASSRA, under the Lagos Identity Card Project, has registered 6.46 million residents, including over 2.4 million children and more than four million adult residents.
He described the Lagos Identity Card initiative as a critical governance tool designed to improve planning, service delivery and integrated state-wide data management under the THEMES’ Plus development agenda of the administration.
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/05/smart-city-lagos-pushes-digital-governance-targets-ai-cybersecurity-innovation-funding/
