By Prince Osuagwu Hi-Tech Editor
As the global tech landscape accelerates towards 2026, Founder, MGX researchers, Nnaemeka Ani has challenged Nigeria and indeed Africa’s tech innovators to seize the moment and shape their own destiny by localising their innovations.
Ani noted that Africa’s innovation ecosystem is at a crossroads, with the continent’s tech future hanging in the balance, and therefore this time requires a shift of focus from buildinghype to creating solutions that can endure, scale and serve societal needs
In a hard-hitting brief, titled “The State of African Innovation”, Ani stated: “Africa must move from being a consumer of global technology to becoming its creator. Let’s stop building for international admiration and start creating the future on our own terms. Africa will rise by code, by courage, and by us.”
The MGX Research brief calls for a new era of African innovation, driven by authorship, not imitation.
Ani’s message is clear: Africa’s growth will come from within, through bold, locally-driven solutions that address the continent’s unique challenges.
According Ani, Africa’s next phase of growth will not be driven by imitation, but by authorship.
“Africa must move from being a consumer of global technology to becoming its author. “Let’s stop building for international admiration and start creating the future on our own terms. Africa will rise by code, by courage, and by us”.
Beyond the Hype: From Consumption to Authorship, an MGX Research report, argues that real value in Africa’s tech ecosystem lies not in flashy applications, but in persistent, intentional solutions, particularly those that digitize public services, strengthen institutions, and bridge the rural-urban divide
Drawing from applied research and on-ground experience, the publication emphasizes that technology without governance, policy alignment, and infrastructure depth cannot scale sustainably.
The report identifies three defining pillars that will determine Africa’s innovation leaders by 2026, such as intentionally Solving Africa’s own challenges, from healthcare access and food systems to security and public service delivery, rather than copying external models; strengthening localized innovation ecosystems in cities such as Enugu, Lagos, Kigali, and others, where context-aware solutions outperform imported frameworks, and leveraging state-led digital infrastructure as a foundation for private-sector growth, innovation scaling, and national competitiveness.
The MGX Research publication arrives at a critical policy moment, as Nigeria advances broadband expansion and prepares for fiscal reforms aimed at empowering small and medium-scale enterprises.
According to the report, such policy shifts represent the kind of institutional courage required to unlock Africa’s innovation potential.
For Ani, “the genius is already on the ground. Our role at MGX Research is to ensure that this genius is met with the clarity, research, and infrastructure required to scale globally. Africa is no longer just emerging, it is competing.”
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