Interswitch Highlights Lagos SHIP, Infrastructure-Led Innovation at 3rd Invest Lagos Summit

Interswitch Highlights Lagos SHIP, Infrastructure-Led Innovation at 3rd Invest Lagos Summit

LAGOS, Nigeria – Interswitch Group has reaffirmed the importance of long-term infrastructure investment in driving Africa’s digital transformation, using the Lagos Smart Health Information Platform (Lagos SHIP) as a prime example of successful public-private sector collaboration at the 3rd Invest in Lagos Summit.

The digital payments company participated as co-chair of the Artificial Intelligence and Innovation Pavilion and a corporate thought leader at the summit held at the Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, from June 8 to 9, 2026.

The event, themed “Lagos: Business Gateway to Africa,” brought together top government officials, investors, policymakers, entrepreneurs and business leaders from across Africa and beyond. Among the dignitaries in attendance were Vice President Kashim Shettima, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, state governors and members of the Federal Executive Council.

Speaking on the summit’s flagship technology panel titled “The Future of Technology and Innovation,” Interswitch Executive Vice-President for Operations and Technology, Babafemi Ogungbamila, emphasized the critical role of foundational infrastructure in building sustainable technology ecosystems.

According to Ogungbamila, Interswitch’s journey began in 2002 when Nigeria lacked a functional digital payments ecosystem, forcing the company to build the foundational infrastructure needed to connect financial institutions and support electronic transactions nationwide.

“Without the right rails, even the best products will stall before reaching scale,” he said, noting that the company’s decision to invest in digital payment infrastructure long before there was a clear market demand helped shape Nigeria’s modern financial technology landscape.

He explained that Lagos’ economic dynamism and growing commercial activity created an opportunity for the company to bridge the gap between the city’s economic ambitions and its digital capabilities.

Ogungbamila said the same infrastructure-focused approach is now being applied to healthcare through the Lagos Smart Health Information Platform (Lagos SHIP), a collaborative initiative between the Lagos State Ministry of Health and Interswitch eClat under Digital Health Platform Limited.

The platform is designed to digitize and integrate patient health records across Lagos State, enabling healthcare providers to access comprehensive medical information in real time while improving service delivery and health sector planning.

According to him, Lagos SHIP represents a forward-thinking model of public-private partnership capable of transforming healthcare administration in a state with a population exceeding 22 million people.

He noted that the initiative mirrors the role technology played in transforming Nigeria’s banking and payment systems over the past two decades, creating significant economic and social benefits.

Addressing the broader technology ecosystem, Ogungbamila called for greater investment in connectivity infrastructure, stronger community-focused public-private partnerships and regulatory frameworks that encourage innovation rather than stifle it.

On artificial intelligence, he urged African governments to build regulatory capacity and understanding ahead of introducing complex regulations, stressing that informed policymaking would be critical to unlocking the economic potential of AI across the continent.

He also highlighted Lagos’ role in Interswitch’s growth, describing the city as more than a commercial hub but a unique environment whose scale, complexity and demand for solutions provided the foundation for the company’s emergence as Africa’s first homegrown technology unicorn.

From its beginnings in Lagos in 2002 under the leadership of founder and Group Chief Executive Officer Mitchell Elegbe, Interswitch has grown into a pan-African technology company operating in more than 23 countries, underscoring Lagos’ position as a leading destination for investment in technology, financial services and digital infrastructure across Africa.