Across the turquoise expanse of the Atlantic, beyond the maze of Lagos traffic and the hum of its concrete sprawl, a new silhouette emerges on the eastern edge of the city. It is not simply another tower or block of flats; it signifies a new kind of city—virtual, experimental, and ambitious. Nestled deep within the Lekki Free Zone corridor, where cranes hover and the skyline is punctuated by the skeletal frames of half-built futures, Nigeria’s first digital special economic zone is coming to life. They call it Itana—a city constructed not of bricks alone, but of code, bandwidth, and policy.
Just this week, Itana signed a landmark memorandum of understanding with Nigeria’s Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment. The goal is clear: reshape the Nigerian economy to export digital services at scale, create high-quality jobs, and attract foreign tech companies to operate—not just within Nigeria—but from Nigeria, for the world.
Backed by the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), Itana represents an innovative experiment: a legally distinct, digitally native jurisdiction where global companies can establish themselves, hire, and operate virtually—without the constraints of Nigeria’s traditional bureaucracy. “You can launch from Nairobi, scale from Lagos, and serve London—all from your laptop,” says Luqman Edu, co-founder and CEO of Itana. “That’s the point.”
### A City Designed to Be Elsewhere
Physically, Itana’s first district is located within Alaro City, a 2,000-hectare development in Lagos State’s broader Lekki Free Zone. Spanning 72,000 square meters, it presents an array of planned tech campuses, co-living pods, startup labs, outdoor workspaces, and smart infrastructure—powered by gas-fired energy plants and piped water, with dual fiber-optic connections running beneath the pavement.
However, Itana is not just a physical locale; it represents a spiritual departure from Nigeria’s cumbersome business environment. “We’ve streamlined everything,” says Adetayo Oduwole, Director of Business and Compliance. “From incorporation to tax handling, it’s digital-first and borderless. You don’t need to show up in person. You don’t need to wait.”
Inspired by Delaware in the U.S. and Dubai’s Internet City, Itana has cleverly leveraged Nigeria’s existing free zone laws. Instead of starting from scratch, the founders opted for a solid foundation. For a setup fee of $2,000 and an annual renewal cost of $1,150, startups can register, access legal protections, and benefit from incentives tailored to digital firms—lighter taxes, fewer restrictions, and regulatory predictability.
### Addressing the Brain Drain
Nigeria’s tech sector has long been characterized by two opposing forces: an influx of global venture capital and a persistent exodus of local talent. The term “brain drain” reflects the deep frustration among many. Itana aims to counter this trend—not by forcing talent to stay, but by making it unnecessary to leave.
The MOU signed with the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment under the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP) commits to creating 100,000 high-value digital jobs over the next five years. The mission: to transform Nigeria into a global hub for digital services such as software engineering, UI/UX design, and customer support, all while allowing Nigerians to remain in their homeland.
“This isn’t about stopping people from traveling,” Oduwole clarifies. “It’s about offering them a choice. You can stay in Lagos and work for a company in Berlin. You don’t have to leave your family, or your home country, to earn in dollars.”
### Building Connections, Not Just Structures
To achieve such ambitious objectives, Itana is constructing more than just office spaces and operational frameworks. They are building a pipeline—connecting training institutions with employers abroad to ensure the local workforce is not only skilled but credible and well-connected. “A lot of Africa’s job issues stem from poor matching and weak trust infrastructure,” Oduwole notes. “We’re addressing both.”
Traditionally, Africa’s free zones have focused on manufacturing. However, Itana marks a significant shift—from an emphasis on physical goods to services, and from factories to fiber. “The global economy is now driven by services,” Edu explains. “Yet many African zones are still designed for industries of the past. We’re building for the industries of the future.”
By emphasizing tech-enabled services, Itana aligns with broader shifts occurring across the continent. The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) seeks to ease trade across borders, further reinforcing this strategy. With Itana, a software company based in Lagos can now serve clients in Accra, Kigali, or Cape Town—without the necessity of setting up separate entities in each locale.
### Bridging Challenges and Opportunities
This broader perspective is essential for Itana’s vision. “Expanding across Africa is difficult,” Oduwole explains. “Each country operates under its own set of rules. With Itana, we provide a single entry point to the entire continent.”
Yet, Itana has its challenges. As a prototype, it carries inherent risks—the scalability of its model, long-term investor confidence, and whether Nigeria’s policies can adapt to evolving demands remain open questions.
What sets Itana apart is not merely its infrastructure or tax incentives; it’s an earnest commitment to comprehensive ecosystem design. By collaborating closely with venture capital firms such as Future Africa, Itana aims to unify the often-fractured relationships between startups, regulators, policymakers, and investors in Nigeria.
### The Vision Ahead
In doing this, Itana avoids a common pitfall: the isolation of a new zone. Instead, it aspires to be a bridge—connecting Nigeria to the global tech ecosystem, matching talent with opportunities, and drawing the future closer to the present.
“We’re not planning to build five more Itanas across Nigeria,” Oduwole remarks. “We’re focused on building just one—the right way—so others can learn from it.”
With predictions that Africa’s population will double by 2050 and the demand for digital services around the globe continuously rising, many African nations are uncertain about how to maintain a competitive edge in this landscape. If successful, Itana could provide a blueprint—a pathway for countries to export talent instead of just oil, attract global investment while preserving local development, and shape globalization rather than being shaped by it.
“This isn’t just a zone,” declares Edu. “It’s a new economic structure—one that understands the needs of the 21st century.”
As the waves of the Atlantic gently wash against the shores of Lagos, and cranes rise into the dusty skyline of Alaro City, Itana stands—half-built but clearly envisioned. It’s not merely a departure from the country; it could also be a significant leap forward.
