Modupe Olalere
Lagos State is poised to change one of Nigeria’s busiest technology centres, Computer Village in Ikeja, with a long-awaited relocation to a newly designed, purpose-built space. Years of congestion and deteriorating infrastructure have necessitated this change, which promises to promote modern facilities and organised commercial spaces. The plan is remarkable as Lagos first introduced a flexible payment plan to simplify traders’ financial transitions, and a robust infrastructure behind the plan offers traders and their tech businesses a new start.
For decades, Computer Village has served as the primary marketplace for technology goods and services in Lagos and West Africa. However, the original site in Ikeja, meant to be a residential development, has become congested and unkempt, hindering business activity and the community’s well-being. “The current site has suffered from unplanned expansion, which displaced many residents and created severe infrastructural strain,” explained Arc. Gbolahan Oki, Permanent Secretary, Office of Urban Development, Lagos State. The clamour for a more suitable environment has been continuous.
The government is now pushing a fresh 18-month ultimatum for traders to relocate, which started in September 2025 and runs till March 2027. Oki affirmed that “the Lagos State Government is ready to deliver a world-class market site at Katangowa, complete with trailer parks, banks, hotels, a police station, a fire station, and other community amenities.” The new 15-hectare site aims to correct the limitations of the old site by offering a well-planned, secure, and modern marketplace purpose-built for the tech economy.
This relocation is not simply a change of scenery; it signals a dramatic break from more than 40 years of unmet promises and failed efforts, which saw “Computer Village” extremely overcrowded and deemed dangerous. As an economic hub generating around $1.5 billion daily, this development is critical for a sustainable economy. The new location at Katangowa, Agbado-Oke-Odo, is also currently being built to international specifications, and it is impossible to understate how much better this will be than their current, overcrowded quarters.
One of the main reasons past relocation efforts stalled was the lack of support to traders regarding the financial cost of moving. Lagos has tackled this head-on by unveiling a flexible payment plan to help traders transition without hardship. This was announced at a major stakeholders’ meeting, reaffirming the government’s commitment to “facilitate the long-awaited relocation of Computer Village inclusively and transparently,” according to Sam Ajose, the developer overseeing the relocation project.
With this plan, traders can pay for their new spaces within the Katangowa ICT and Business Park in stages rather than pay a lump sum before operation. The plan also included biometric registration and formalised market enumeration to formalise operations and improve security, providing readily applicable confidence for traders and their customers.
“I have my fears, but I am hopeful the developer will stick strictly to the design specifications and timelines,” said Abisola Azeez, a prominent vendor known as Iya Oloja of Computer Village. Her cautious optimism reflects broader sentiment among the thousands of traders who perceive this initiative as an opportunity to upgrade their business environment.
Above all, the new Computer Village site is more than a simple relocation of a market; it embodies a strategic upgrade of Lagos’s existing Information Technology and Communication (ICT) infrastructure. The endeavour is to create a 15-hectare site at Katangowa, which provides trading spaces and essential amenities to create a working ecosystem, such as police and fire stations for emergency services, hotels, banks, and trailer parks, to facilitate logistics.
An internal academic study by the government on the impact of the communication infrastructure on Lagos revealed that obsolete facilities used at the old Computer Village had driven operating and financial barriers for traders in the market. Efforts to build a modern ICT park, scaled up in sophistication in response to the suboptimal performance of its predecessor, are underway. Suppose the new norm entails providing contemporary facilities. In that case, Lagos can be competent in sustaining Computer Village as the most significant tech market in West Africa, with a competitive workforce ecosystem worth over $2 billion annually.
Through the park’s development, vendors will be strictly regulated with biometric ID systems, which will alleviate the current security and crime issues in the market. This methodical approach to an urban investment enhances investor confidence while attracting local and foreign technology investments to Lagos.
It has been a long journey, with the plans initiated back in 2017, during the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode. There were delays in the execution of the plans, but the present administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has ramped up efforts and highlighted that delivery on time and the welfare of traders would be priorities. The state appears ready to deliver this vision, and with March 2027 as the deadline, the state is obviously committed to delivering on a vision that could change the prospects of the Lagos tech economy.
Lagos is not remaking Computer Village to relocate a market but rather to create a purpose-designed technology hub that may provide foundations for growth, innovation, and a globally relevant digital economy. This plan will address traffic congestion and inefficiencies and unlock opportunities for traders, Lagos-born tech entrepreneurs, and the greater Lagos economy.