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From JOE EFFIONG, UYO
Power supply, poor connectivity, high cost of data and low purchasing power of the people have been outlined as major challenges facing technological innovations in Akwa Ibom State.
These were some of the highlights at a press conference organized the Ibom Innovation Network Ltd, a group of 50 professionals who have taken up the onerous task of training 500 individuals who are interested in technology-oriented programmes in the state.
The public relations officer of the group, Idongesit Essien said at the press conference in Uyo, that the training, open to youth, students, men and women, adults from 16 years of age and above is aimed at spotlighting talents, training and showcasing them in the state and beyond.
“The industry event for tech professionals in and from Akwa Ibom will be held at 4 Points by Sheraton from October 30 to November 5, 2023. It will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, product demonstration, pitch competition, workshops and breakout sessions to be handled by established industry players within tech and start-up ecosystems.
“Confirmed speakers and attendees include representatives of the Government of Akwa Ibom State, leading members of the tech ecosystem, founders of Akwa Ibom descent. They include Kachif Innuwa Abdullahi DG National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Oswald Osaretin Guobadia former senior special assistant on Digital Transformation to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Deji Sarumi of Tech Hive Advisory, Aniedi Udo-Obong, Programme Manager at Google; and Mark Essien, the Founder of Hotels.ng, Richmond Bassey of Bamboo, Idorenyin Obong of Grey amongst others.”
The group explained that since 2015, the Akwa Ibom tech ecosystem has grown exponentially, at rates never seen before in the state’s 36-year history as the number of inovation hubs have increased from two to 14 in the last seven years.
“This has resulted in the training of more than 3000 innovators, with many more, triple that number learning informally at their homes and taking remote jobs in software development, product design, project management and business analysis.”
Despite this growth, the group lamented that the ecosystem in its nascent and sprawling phase is facing challenges of poor funding, weak and unfavourable regulatory environment, inadequate infrastructures and an unstructured workforce for talents.
“The signals out of Akwa Ibom are positive and bright. This optimism is driven by decades of sustained aviation development, investment in power generation, road network infrastructure, security and a technology innovation ecosystem that has produced the best of talents on the continent.”
The Ibom Innovation Network Ltd said the Ibom Tech Week has the objectives of defining and defending the proposition of Akwa Ibom State as “Africa’s New Tech Destination”; galvanizing support for actualizing the mission of making Akwa Ibom Africa’s New Tech Destination.; and showcasing the innovation, talents and products from Akwa Ibom state that are creating real value on the continent.
The event, which is the second edition, according to Essien, is spearheaded by a number of professionals such as Hanson Johnson, Amanda Etuk, Dr Odiong Akpan, Aniekan Ani-Ezekiel, Lawrence Akubue, Victoria Fabunmi and many others within the committee.
