FIC Report (Rivers State) – StartupSouth an entrepreneurship ecosystem development, and advocacy organization that has inspired and supported the emergence of the thriving digital ecosystem within the South-South and South-East region is positioning to be a globally focused organization.
This was disclosed by the convener of StartupSouth conference, Uche Aniche during the 9th edition of the StartupSouth two-day conference which held on 0ctober 3-4, 2024 in Port Harcourt.
Aniche while giving his opening remark at the event, welcomed guests, and revealed that StartupSouth is “no longer looking to just be a regional platform or organization, we are now looking to be a global focused organization, which is interested in attracting the required talents and attention to the region”.
He said, “This year’s conference themed ‘Deep & Broad: Extending Frontiers of Technology and Economic Development’ is aimed at bringing people together, exposing and hopefully inspire them to think bigger and build something big.
“The sessions we will be having, will be talking to people that are doing awesome things”, he added.
Speaking further on the sideline, he revealed that he can not alone attract the required talents and attention to the South-South and South-East regions, and called on the government to get involved, or eventually become obsolete.
He further implored participants to tune into the conversations at the event.
The Director General National Information Technology Development Agency(NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa stated that the conference is a platform for innovators, entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts to gather together to collaborate for creativity, share ideas and elicit grand breaking ideas that will shape the future of technology, not only in Nigeria, but also in Africa as a whole.
Inuwa who was represented by Dr Aristotle Onumo, Director Corporate Planning and Strategy appraised that forums like the Startup South is a great opportunity for youths to be identified, showcase their talents and be exposed globally.
He commended the effort of the organizers for organizing such a creative avenue and working tirelessly to build the next generation digital solution.
Inuma urged all the startups and participants to cease the opportunity lying within the conference to build partnerships and collaborate, so that their products could experience a global relevance.
He prided that “Nigeria continues to lead in the change in the Africa digital platform and the entire Africa digital ecosystem”, while explaining that the world is looking at Africa at the moment, and Nigeria in particular to lead technological advancement.
Speaking further, Inuma disclosed that the global ecosystem at this time worths close to 4.5 trillion dollars, and if Nigeria could tap into 1% of this global tech ecosystem, the economic value will be enormous.
He further disclosed that Lagos State has more share in the percentage that comes to Nigeria, and that is why the Agency deemed it fit to take interest in Startup South, so as to spread the value that comes into Nigeria, especially as it has to do with the entire ecosystem.
He concluded by saying that, “NITDA has built a vision anchored on making Nigeria an empowered digital nation through digital innovation. And our vision is anchored on eight strategic pillars, and one of such pillars is fostering digital literacy and also cultivating talents.
“In doing that, we have come up with series of programmes which include digital literacy for all Nigerians. And in this programme our vision and goal is to ensure that by 2027, we have 30 million SME and those in the informal sector skilled in the area of digital literacy.
“That programme has already commenced, because we are partnering with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to ensure that we train digital champions that are going to reach out to the rural areas, markets, and organizations that ensure that 30 million Nigerians are digitally literate by the year 2027.”
He therefore called on organizations, tech hubs and agencies, to collaborate with NITDA in actualizing goal 2027.
Delivering a goodwill message virtually, the U.S. Consulate Deputy Political and Economic Chief, Kenise Hill said the conference is particularly timely and resonates deeply with the work that the U.S mission is doing.
She underscored that tech is a powerful tool for bridging the developmental divide, creating job, improving the quality of life and creating equity for all.
She revealed that technology has been at the centre of the deepening relationship between the U.S and Nigeria, and in fact all across the continent, while narrating that, “in December 2022, President Joe Biden launched the digital transformation with the Africa initiative, to expand the digital access and literacy, and strengthen digital enabling environment across the continent”.
Speaking earlier at the event, the Regional Head of MainOne, an Equinix company, Abayomi Adebanjo while delivering his keynote presentation said there is a digital concentration in urban markets that are better served, such as Lagos, as most of the connectivity is centred in Lagos. All the cables that power up the Internet in Nigeria land in Lagos.
“We need to create more centrifugal forces in other parts of the country, not just Lagos. For us in MainOne, the core of digital transformation is creating an infrastructure ecosystem. So we facilitated the very first subsea cable landing in South-South Nigeria, specifically AkwaIbom State,” he said.
This he noted is a game changer for the entire country, as it will open an entirely new digital gateway and corridor that will enable further broadband penetration within the South-South region.
Adebanjo narrated that MainOne did not just stop at landing the cable in Akwa Ibom State, but is going further to build a terrestrial infrastructure network that will be able to carry all the subsea capacity traffic and also MainOne is building a data centre in Port Harcourt.
He added that these initiatives will enable consumers, enterprises and multinationals to optimize digital services and embark on a digital transformational journey.
Meanwhile, Yen Choi from Chiplab, during his keynote presentation on ‘Securing the Future of Tech’, said: “Nigeria needs reverse Japa like in India where citizens are returning home from abroad”.
For Tomi Davies (TD) of African Business Angel Network who spoke virtually, “Startups need support, they need funding to scale up their ideas and innovations. Angel investors step in where traditional financial institutions are skeptical. I believe the future of Angel investor in Africa is ripe”.
He therefore urged participants at the conference to go find an angel investor, not just for the funding, but for the mentorship and network, as collaboration is key.
The Zoho West African Team Lead, Onyekachi Oparah during his presentation on ‘Digital Transformation Through SaaS: Unlocking New Growth Pathways for African Enterprises”, stated that: “Tech should be like the epicentre of every business growth”.
He narrated how Zoho, an Indian multinational technology company, has helped businesses advance digitally.
“The first goal for any business growth should be customer experience. So, with Zoho Desk app, customers can reach out to you and you can connect all the channels through which you connect to your customers seamlessly from one application. We have over 50 applications to help businesses thrive,” he explained.
Speaking on the sideline after the day two of the conference, a participant and speaker at the event, Yemisi Isidi, who came in from Abuja for the conference said she has been so inspired by the work that has been put into the conference, the ambitions of the young participants and how members of the ecosystem are going out of their way to give out.
“It has been very humbling and absolutely inspirational for me. It has been alot of learning for me personally, for my business growth, and also an amazing opportunity to network and connect with diverse people.
The conference featured breakout sessions, investors Meetup, panel discussions and award presentations.
The purpose of The Awards was to recognize and celebrate the achievements of founders and corporate organizations, regardless of their public or private status, who have made significant contributions to the Innovation ecosystem and embodied the core values of the StartupSouth movement.
Winners of the Xend Finance Hackathon were announced on the day-two of the conference, and after weeks of developing and building, Eden Finance emerged first with their innovative finance solution and secured $1000. Safe launch came second with $750 funding & FLLOW emerged third place with $500
The Conference is Proudly sponsored by Zoho Corporatios, MainOne, Xend Finance, Cool FM Port Harcourt, among others.
Helen Nsirim
For: Head of Centre
Port Harcourt
