The PBAT Smart Nation Initiative has officially announced the inaugural edition of the PBAT Smart Nation Youth in Tech Festival, scheduled to hold on Wednesday, December 16, 2026, at the prestigious Shell Zenith Bank Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos.
Convening under the strategic theme, “The Making of Nigeria — Africa’s Truly First Smart Nation,” the high-level convergence will bring together over 10,000 emerging software engineers, artificial intelligence innovators, tech startup founders, digital creators, and public-sector leaders to accelerate Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.
The festival serves as an action-oriented platform designed to bridge grassroots technical talent with public-sector digital infrastructure, enterprise investment, and smart governance frameworks. With Nigeria’s digital economy rapidly expanding, the event will spotlight critical frontiers including artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure, fintech resilience, cybersecurity, and smart city governance.
Speaking on the strategic vision of the gathering, Amb. Joshua Omeiza Emmanuel, Lead Convener of the PBAT Smart Nation Initiative, emphasized the indispensable role of youth-led innovation in driving sustainable national prosperity:
“Nigeria’s journey toward becoming Africa’s truly first smart nation hinges on the audacity, skill, and resourcefulness of our youth.
The PBAT Smart Nation Youth in Tech Festival is not just another conference—it is an economic accelerator and a national platform where our brightest technical minds will directly intersect with policy, venture capital, and real-world implementation. By anchoring this at the Muson Centre, we are signaling a clear commitment to excellence, scale, and actionable outcomes for our youth demographic.”
The one-day summit will feature high-impact keynote addresses by prominent industry figures, forward-looking panel discussions, live developer showcases, and policy dialogues focused on standardizing Nigeria’s position as the primary technology capital of Africa. Alongside the main-stage discussions, the event will feature dedicated networking corridors, institutional investor meetups, and direct talent-matching hubs for participating delegates.
How to Apply
Registration for delegates, developer communities, and ecosystem stakeholders opens officially this week via the event portal which can be accessed using the Link provided 👉 Here
Corporate organizations, technology brands, and public-sector institutions seeking strategic partnerships, exhibition spaces, or sponsorship alignments are invited to engage the Secretariat directly.
ABOUT PBAT SMART NATION INITIATIVE
The PBAT Smart Nation Initiative is a forward-thinking policy, technology advocacy, and human-capital development platform dedicated to mainstreaming smart infrastructure, digital inclusion, and youth empowerment across Nigeria. Through targeted stakeholder engagements, technical frameworks, and nationwide innovation summits, the initiative champions the digital industrialization of Nigeria.
