DevFest Lagos 2025 was a full experience this year; energetic, intense, and packed with insights that truly captured the current mood of the Nigerian tech ecosystem. I attended the event as a tech writer who genuinely enjoys learning from the tech community, and the five-day festival showed again why DevFest Lagos remains one of the most influential tech conferences in Nigeria.
Organised by Google Developer Groups (GDG), DevFest brings together software engineers, product designers, AI enthusiasts, cloud experts, founders, and beginners in tech. And just like past editions, the Lagos edition stood out again this year, but with some noticeable changes that organisers openly addressed.
DevFest Lagos Moved to the National Theatre This Year
I had a conversation with one of the organisers, Sodiq Akinjobi, who shared a fresh perspective that many attendees may not know. For years, DevFest Lagos has been held at Landmark Event Centre in Victoria Island. This year, for the first time ever, it was hosted at the National Theatre, Lagos.
When asked why, he explained:
“We’re listening to the market and we’re experimenting. Every venue has its own advantages and disadvantages. We’re taking feedback, and that will determine where next year’s event will be. You’d notice this is the first major tech event to hold at the National Theatre.”
This shift instantly made DevFest Lagos one of the first large-scale tech gatherings to activate such an iconic cultural space.
What Changed With Ticketing?
If you’ve attended DevFest Lagos before, you’d remember the era of free food and drinks flowing for everyone. This year was different. Even with the ₦7,000 per-day ticket, the only items provided to all attendees were water and drinks.
Sodiq broke down the reason clearly:
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DevFest is one of the most affordable tech events in Nigeria.
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Many attendees received discount codes that reduced the ₦7,000 ticket even further.
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Some people paid as low as ₦700, ₦350, or ₦1,500 depending on discounts.
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The actual cost of hosting one attendee is around ₦35,000 per day.
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The economy made it nearly impossible to keep the previous freebies.
He also added an interesting revelation:
“DevFest was historically free, but people started registering, selling their tickets, or not showing up. So we had to introduce a fee.”
The explanation made sense, and it reflects the larger challenges of running community-led tech events in Lagos.
Five Full Days of Tech
This year’s DevFest Lagos 2025 was five days long, from Tuesday 18 November to Saturday 22 November, each day packed with breakout sessions, hands-on workshops, and panel discussions across major areas of the tech industry:
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Artificial Intelligence
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Cloud Computing
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Software Engineering
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Product Design
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Technical Writing
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Web Development
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Mobile Engineering
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Community Leadership
Speakers came from different parts of the industry, giving practical insights, real experiences, and strategic advice for beginners, professionals, and everyone in between.
Some of the notable speakers included:
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Odunayo Eweniyi (Co-founder, PiggyVest)
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Chaka Ofili (Google Developer Expert, Cloud)
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Funke Olasupo (Technical Writer)
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Winifred Ekunife (Senior Product Designer)
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Victor Oluwole (Head & Editor, Business Insider, Pulse Africa)
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And many others across AI, cloud, engineering, fintech and design.
As always, DevFest Lagos brought out the strength of the tech community in Nigeria; collaborative, passionate, and eager to learn
Key Insights From the Speakers
Odunayo Eweniyi on Building for Billions
During her session, Scaling Technology for Africa’s Next Growth Phase, she highlighted something crucial: Africa’s digital economy is rising, but so are the constraints.
She pointed out:
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Poor infrastructure
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Low digital trust
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High data costs
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Regulations that slow down innovation
And she added a powerful message: scaling in Africa requires cultural fluency, not just technical talent. A point many young founders needed to hear.
Chaka Ofili on AI for Developers
During his keynote, he emphasised that:
“Use AI as a force multiplier, not replacement.”
This statement echoed because it underlined a message the global tech world is learning, AI is here to enhance skills, not wipe developers out.
A Moment of Reflection: Bernard Parah’s Opening Tribute
One thing that struck me deeply during the event was when Bernard Parah, CEO and Co-founder of Bitnob, began his session by calling for a moment of silence for victims of recent kidnappings and violence in Nigeria.
It was a sobering reminder that while we build technology, real people outside the auditorium are facing real struggles.
Olamide Balogun on the Future of Tech Talent
Olamide Balogun, Director at Google West Africa, drew a line in the sand:
“Coding isn’t enough. We’ve moved past the era of learning to code; we’re now in the era of coding to solve.”
This idea summarises what many global tech companies are now emphasising, problem-solving is the core skill, not just writing lines of code.
Arafat’s Takeaway
Arafat, a Data Scientist and Machine Learning Engineer, shared that he learnt a huge amount about building safe, secure, and scalable solutions. According to him, he left the event super inspired, and his feedback represents what many attendees felt.
I’ve attended multiple editions of DevFest Lagos, but this year had its own unique energy, from the crowd size to the structure, to how intentional the sessions were.
The final day especially felt energising. The mix of AI discussions, cloud engineering sessions, design talks, and startup insights created something rich and stimulating. And yes, the after-party delivered a delightful finish. The music, the crowd, the atmosphere, a perfect wrap-up.
DevFest Lagos Remains a Pillar in Nigeria’s Tech Ecosystem
Beyond the sessions, DevFest Lagos stands out because it is community-organised, community-led and accessible. It is one of the few major tech events in Nigeria that cuts across every skill level, from professionals to beginners to tech aspirants.
And even in a tough economy, it remains one of the most reachable tech learning experiences anyone can attend.
DevFest Lagos 2025 wasn’t just another tech event. It was a meeting point for ideas, collaboration, and honest conversations about the future of Nigeria’s tech industry.
