West Africa’s leading regional telecommunications, technology and business forum, the West Africa Telecommunications Infrastructure Summit and Exhibition (WATISE), will be looking at the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it impacts not just telecommunications infrastructure management across all types of infrastructure but also how businesses deploy it in their daily operation.
Known as WATISE 4.0 and Awards, the 2026 edition hosted by TechnologMirror, a leading telecoms, technology and business news website, has as its theme: The Resilient AI Fabric: Ensuring Trust, Integrity, and Sustainability in Next-Generation Network Infrastructure will be held at the Lagos Oriental Hotel on June 18, with the executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, delivering the keynote address.
A statement from TechnologyMirror, the organisers of the regional event, said that the WATISE 4.0 has been endorsed by the notable industry group, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ALTON), and with ICTLOCA, Nigeria’s local content advocacy group, as technical partners.
And as such, both the Chairman of ALTON, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo and the President of ATCON, Mr. Tony Emokpere alongside the Board Secretary of ICTLOCA, Dr. Adebunmi Akinbo as well as industry-focused paper presentations from our sponsors and partners.
WATISE has been designed as a regional gathering for telecommunications operators, regulators, industry-based organisations, businesses in technology and startups, policy formulators, government agencies and consumers to discuss infrastructure trends, insights, challenges and provider solutions that will leapfrog the region’s digital economy.
This year, there will be a forward-looking perspective on designing future networks (like those for 6G) that are inherently trustworthy and resilient, considering the foundational role of AI in their operation and potential attack vectors against the AI itself.
The WATISE 4.0 and Awards promised to also provide insights into the transformation impact of AI in the fintech industry, such as fraud detection and security in the areas of AI algorithms, monitor transactions in real-time to identify suspicious activity and strengthen anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) processes.
The experts at the event, which will be taking its award series to another, will also examine critical issues such as deploying AI to protect telecoms infrastructure and AI’s innovative impact on the protection of the Fintech industry from cyber-attacks and fraud as well as CX and KYC.
Country Editor, TechnologyMirror, Mr. Isaiah Erhiawarien disclosed that the event already has as sponsors the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), while leading players are set to pick up slots of sponsorship.
He said further that WATISE 4.0 and Awards will feature a keynote presentation from industry stakeholders and sponsors’ presentations, an issue-based paper presentation, one robust panel session, an insightful fireside chat of leading industry experts and a recognised industry award session.
