Tagged a “Celebration of Progress’’, this year’s NITDA Annual Digital Conference is taking place from October 24th to 26th, 2023 in Abuja where the 3-day event is planning to congregate technology admirers, especially those operating within the country’s startup ecosystem. Participants are expected to discuss diverse areas and aspects that concern startup founders, such as seeking support, education, addressing real-world problems, and navigating the challenges that their businesses face. Additionally, the conference will shed light on the role of the government, especially NITDA, in supporting Nigerian startups.
In his address, Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, took a moment to appreciate the country’s journey in establishing a thriving digital economy over the years. He also proudly noted that Nigeria had achieved the distinction of being the primary destination for technology funding in Africa. While recognizing the continuing challenges within the telecommunications sector, Tijani highlighted its status as the highest revenue-generating sector on the continent.
Tijani emphasized, “Today, Nigeria stands at the forefront as the premier destination for technology startup investments in Africa. Out of the approximately $5 billion invested in tech startups across the continent last year, we proudly claimed a substantial 20% share of this total investment. This is just a glimpse of the immense potential that lies ahead.” He attributed this remarkable progress to a group of forward-thinking individuals, whom he described as “progressives.” These are individuals who have taken it upon themselves to drive Nigeria’s active participation in the global economy.
The Digital Nigeria conference provides an exceptional platform for brands to showcase their businesses to industry players, foreign technology experts and a wide-ranging community, including those involved in blockchain, Web3, IoT, the Startup Ecosystem, Investors, AI, XR, and the Metaverse.
Speaking specifically on emerging technologies, panel sessions were held on how Nigeria can leverage emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain technology to consolidate on the progress that the Minister had highlighted. Oswald Osaretin Guobadia, who previously served as a government technology advisor and currently holds the position of Managing Partner at DigitA, pointed out that several policies designed to facilitate the integration of emerging technologies have not been put into action by the government. He illustrated this with the Nigeria Startup Act, which has yet to be effectively implemented nationwide. Guobadia stressed the need for enhanced enforcement of these policies.
This year’s edition of the Digital Nigeria International Conference is expected to draw over 10,000 in-person attendees and an additional 5,000 virtually, coming from various parts of the world.
