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PMI Nigeria Expo 2022 Returns to Lagos & Abuja, Focuses on Improving Project Outcomes
The need to address lingering challenges in project management will be at the centre of discourse during the Project Management Institute (PMI) Nigeria Chapter Expo 2022.
L-R: Paul Omugbe, President, PMI Nigeria Chapter; George Asamani, Managing Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, Project Management Institute (PMI) and Joe Cahill, Chief Customer Officer (CCO), Project Management Institute (PMI) at the 7th annual PMI Africa Conference in Lagos.
Billed to speaker at the event are Anthony Okungbowa, Head of Service, Edo State, Precious Ajoonu, Managing Director, John Odigie Oyegun Public Service Academy, Edo State, Dr. Edmund Otaigbe, Group Head, Risk Management & Project Monitoring at Access Bank Plc, Katharina Felgenhauer, Delegate, Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Nigeria, Ife Adebayo, Special Assistant to the President on Innovation (Office of the Vice President), and Adeola Akande, Transformation and Change Management Lead, Dangote Group amongst others will unpack the expo and conference theme, “Resolving project failure issues in public and private sectors”.
Several workshops and panel discussions have been planned to allow attendees to sharpen their skills by engaging with peers and industry experts. They will also serve as an avenue for professionals looking to advance their careers with sector specific certifications and a launchpad for changemakers seeking a career move.
In many parts of the world and Nigeria, post-Covid-19 recovery policy measures have featured investment in infrastructure projects. An International Monetary Fund (IMF) report published ahead of the G20 leaders meeting in 2020 argued synchronised infrastructure investment push could invigorate growth, limit scarring, and address climate goals. When many countries act simultaneously, public infrastructure investment could help lift growth domestically and abroad through trade linkages.
In Nigeria, the Federal Government has established the Infrastructure Corporation of Nigeria (InfraCorp) with a seed capital of N1 trillion. That said, research into Nigeria’s project landscape suggests that project delivery remains an ongoing concern. According to the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), there exists a large quantum of uncompleted projects in Nigeria estimated at N12trillion. Moreover, the report also points to some 56,000 abandoned projects in all sectors across the country.
The IMF also found that countries waste about one-third of their infrastructure spending due to inefficiencies. Governments need robust frameworks to plan, allocate, and implement quality public infrastructure, it said.
“The success of large scale capital projects is dependent on how a project manager brings diverse and multi locational teams together. In the public sector, this is more pronounced as project managers must also deal with multiple stakeholders whose opinions can strongly influence the outcome. This creates an increasing need for developing competences (knowledge and most importantly power skills. The expo is a collaborative space to build bridges between private and public sectors, share learning and find solutions to problems associated with project failure”, says Emeka Unachukwu, Sales & Marketing Associate, PMI.
In Lagos on Nov 07 at the MUSON Centre and in Abuja on Nov 11, 2022, at Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Conference Centre, this gathering of project talents and stakeholders in the project economy will feature a conference, an exhibition as well as a career fair.
Paul Omugbe, PMI Nigeria Chapter President, says, “The event presents an enormous opportunity for professionals and changemakers to discuss and discover their next career move. If you have a specific career path you want to pursue and don’t know who to ask, you’ll find the PMI Nigeria Chapter volunteers helpful. If you want to pay forward, contribute to building the project management community, you can join the Nigeria chapter. “
“There is a need for governments and organisations to focus on appropriately planning and executing projects that can create business value, deliver benefits, and drive return on investment. To this end, the annual PMI Nigeria Chapter Expo is curated with your career goals in mind and deliver solutions, all under one roof.”
Attendees will receive certificates of participation, and souvenirs, earn 8 PDUs, enjoy opportunities for networking and be eligible for a raffle draw to receive free PMI Global membership and a membership discount code.
“There are many skillsets that go into delivering a return on infrastructure investment, project management being key as it enables delivery on time, within scope and budget. Given the impetus on infrastructure, there is no doubt that professionals in this field have a huge future ahead of them in Nigeria. PMI’s certifications are globally recognised, which makes the holder highly employable anywhere in the world, “adds Unachukwu
Th PMI Nigeria Chapter was formed in 2005 and has over 1,300 members. It has actively promoted the best practices in project management and standards in private industries-led projects as well as government-led projects.
In the wake of increasing geopolitical tension, Cassava Technologies has unveiled its National Sovereign Cloud offering for African governments.
The solution, the company claims, will help the continent’s governments ensure data is kept on infrastructure that remains under local legal and operational jurisdiction.
According to the official announcement, made yesterday, the solution provides “secure, locally-governed digital infrastructure that enables the deployment of AI-enabled public services”.
The overarching solution encompasses cloud, cyber security, AI computing infrastructure, as well as local language AI models and skills support for governments.
The announcement comes amid increasing uncertainty over the hosting of sensitive national data on cloud services operated by foreign hyperscalers, which are subject to legal frameworks, such as the U.S. CLOUD Act. The CLOUD Act opens the door to allow American authorities to access data stored on the servers of US hyperscalers, wherever those servers are physically located.
Cassava has claimed separately that currently, “approximately 33% to 45% of the world’s data is hosted in the USA”.
The company added: “A sovereign cloud reduces exposure to extraterritorial laws, improves cyber resilience, and ensures that model weights and training data for public AI remain under national custody.”
The Africa Data Centres Association’s 2026 Economic Report states that “data sovereignty has evolved from a legal aspiration into a strategic policy lever”.
Ahmed El Beheiry, Group COO and Group Chief Technology and AI Officer, Cassava Technologies said: “Across Africa, governments are accelerating their digital transformation agendas and are increasingly focused on ensuring that data and digital infrastructure remain secure and sovereign.”
Announced at the Mobile Word Congress in Barcelona, this week, the Sovereign Cloud offering launch accompanied the launch of Cassava’s Cloud Partner programme.
The partner programme targets mobile network operators and system integrators across Africa to resell and distribute AI, cloud, and other digital services using Cassava’s infrastructure and technology platforms.
El Beheiry added: “We are expanding Africa’s sovereign AI ecosystem to build solutions that address the continent’s unique challenges while creating new opportunities for growth and digital inclusion.”
The programme offers partners access to NVIDIA Cloud Partner solutions, Cassava’s AI Factory, its own native AI solutions and its AI Multi-Model Exchange, which supports both Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s Gemini models.
Mazen Mroue, a non-executive director at MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, has resigned effective February 27, 2026, to prioritise other responsibilities within the MTN Group, the company announced in a Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) filing.
MTN Nigeria
The notice, signed by company secretary Uto Ukpanah, stated: “This is to enable Mr. Mroue to focus on other priorities within MTN Group Limited. The Board wishes to express its appreciation to Mr. Mroue for his immense service to MTN Nigeria and wishes him success in his future endeavours.”
Mroue joined MTN Nigeria’s board on June 1, 2022, bringing over 28 years of telecom experience. A veteran MTN executive, he previously served as CEO of MTN Uganda and MTN Liberia, non-executive director at MTN Cyprus, and held leadership roles at MTN Ghana.
Since February 2022, he has been MTN Group’s Chief Technology and Information Officer, overseeing technology strategy and governance. Earlier, as MTN Nigeria’s COO from August 2018 to January 2022, he also sat on the MTN Nigeria Foundation board.
The exit follows MTN Nigeria’s stellar 2025 results, posting a ₦1.70 trillion profit before tax—reversing a ₦550.3 billion loss in 2024 driven by forex woes—marking one of the telco’s strongest rebounds.
Google has rolled out support for Yorùbá and Hausa languages in its AI-powered Search features—AI Overviews and AI Mode—enabling millions of Nigerians to get quick answers, summaries, and conversational web exploration in their mother tongues.
The update forms part of Google’s push to cover 13 African languages, including Afrikaans, Akan, Amharic, Kinyarwanda, Afaan Oromoo, Somali, Sesotho, Kiswahili, Setswana, Wolof, and isiZulu, selected based on high search activity across the continent.
Now, a Kano student can ask complex questions in Hausa, while an Ibadan trader seeks business tips in Yorùbá—both receiving culturally nuanced AI responses via text or voice on Android, iOS, or web.
Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s West Africa Communications Manager, said: “Building truly global Search requires nuanced local understanding. With Gemini-powered AI, we’ve made advanced capabilities relevant in Yorùbá and Hausa, so Nigerians converse naturally with Search in their mother tongues.”
To use: Open the Google app, tap AI Mode, and query in Hausa or Yorùbá for personalised guidance—breaking language barriers and making technology reflect Nigeria’s diverse identity.
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