The rationale behind the pulling down of the historic Awolowo House, a multi-story building, in Ikeja, Lagos, that has been a symbol of innovation since 1978, has been explained.
The iconic building, which is managed by Wemabod, a subsidiary of Odu’a Investment Company Limited, owned by the six South West states of Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Ondo and Ekiti, was demolished and is being rebuilt into a modern and magnificent technology haven called Awolowo Technology Mall.
The new Awolowo Technology Mall is being developed to commemorate and immortalise legendary nationalist, Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s legacy of innovation, quest for knowledge, spirit of discovery, and excellence; qualities that the leading technology companies taking up spaces at the Awolowo Technology Mall are globally famous for.
The new Awolowo Technology Mall will more than double the previously available commercial space of Awolowo House from 4,800 sqm to over 9,000 sqm.
On the rationale for the demolition of the former edifice, the managing director of El-Salem Nigeria Limited, Mr Ben Gbade Ojo, whose company is in partnership with Wemabod to develop the Awolowo Technology Mall, told journalists in Abuja at the weekend, that “the Awolowo Technology Mall, now famously called A.T Mall, is a place where top-notch information technology companies will set up shops and offices to exhibit and market the latest information communication technologies and systems, a place where latest ICT products from global technology companies can be found in Nigeria. It is a place where leading ICT experts congregate and set up shops and offices, a place where ICT training is carried out by global ICT geniuses and where ICT puzzles find ready answers, and ICT problems find well-tailored solutions. You will likely find at the A.T. Mall, any ICT product or electric product available in the world, and you may not need to travel outside Nigeria for the product. Whatever technology products or services you need, come to A.T. Mall, Ikeja, and you will get them”.
He noted that recently, a comprehensive report by data analytics firm Statisense ranked Lagos as the world’s fastest-growing emerging technology ecosystem in 2025.
The report published on X placed Istanbul in second position, followed by Pune, Belo Horizonte, Mumbai, Curitiba, Riyadh, Johannesburg, Chennai, and Ho Chi Minh City completed the top ten.
Analysts say the ongoing development of the magnificent Awolowo Technology Mall, now sought after by world-class technology firms, will further solidify Lagos’ now globally acknowledged status as a leading technology hub in the world.
Statisense is a leading artificial intelligence data analytics company known for its annual ecosystem intelligence reports across emerging markets.
