At the opening of GITEX Nigeria 2025 Lagos Edition, Trixie Lohmirmand, Executive Vice President of Dubai World Trade Centre and CEO of KAOUN International, delivered a stirring address, positioning Lagos as a global tech epicenter. “Today we’re here to celebrate Lagos and Nigeria—how far it’s come, where it’s been, and where it’s going,” Lohmirmand declared.
She emphasized that “the success of Lagos and Nigeria is not defined by the same rules as other countries. It’s distinguished. It’s distinct. It’s differentiated.” Lohmirmand praised the local startup ecosystem, noting, “Here, the startups and the SMEs and a lot of the entrepreneurs and founders… are creating solutions to problems. It’s born out of necessity, a survivor.”
Despite challenges such as “power outages, despite currency fluctuations, which are very real in any emerging economy, and of course, against very tough challenges of maturing and developing infrastructure, they rise to go.” Lohmirmand highlighted that “Silicon Valley doesn’t scale this way—here, they scale with resilience.”
She pointed to Nigeria’s leadership in FinTech, stating, “You create a whole new industry and infrastructure all together, nothing ever before.” Lohmirmand also celebrated Lagos’ global recognition: “You are ranked number one in the world, as the fastest rising, fastest growing in the world… you did not just join the list, guys, you leapt straight to the top.”
Lohmirmand urged the global tech community to pay attention: “If you can thrive and survive Lagos and your products and solutions, you can find from anywhere in the world.” She concluded with a call to action: “We are turning the attention of the world towards Nigeria. They are coming in here to visit you, to see you… I thank you sincerely for your trust in GITEX.”
Her remarks underscored GITEX’s commitment to “provide access to underserved, to understated, but yet very ambitious and inspiring communities and ecosystem in the world,” and she encouraged attendees to “go out there everywhere, to feel the sincerity, the curiosity, the passion, the aspiration and the desire to be with the rest of the world.”
