Akwa Ibom State is set to host Akwa Ibom Tech Week 2023, tagged 2.0, which will draw participants and attendees from the Tech ecosystem of top-rated tech innovators, founders, angel and venture capitalists from all over the continent of Africa and beyond, as they converge on Uyo and Ikot Ekpene.
This week-long industry event for tech professionals from Akwa Ibom State, other States in Nigeria and the African continent, will hold at 4 Points by Sheraton, from October 30, 2023, to November 5, 2023.
It will feature Keynote speeches, panel discussions, product demonstrations, pitch competitions, workshops and breakout sessions, which will be handled by established industry players within the tech and startup ecosystems.
Confirmed speakers and attendees for the event, include representatives of the Government of Akwa Ibom State, leading members of the tech ecosystem and founders of Akwa Ibom descent, as well as Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, DG of 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.
Highlights of Akwa Ibom Tech Week 2023 include the following:
- Inspiring Keynote Speakers: Renowned experts and visionaries will take the stage to share their insights, experiences, and predictions for the future of technology.
- Engaging Panel Discussions: Thought-provoking discussions will delve into various tech-related topics, including artificial intelligence, blockchain, cybersecurity, fintech, and more.
- Interactive Workshops: Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in hands-on workshops, gaining practical skills and knowledge in emerging technologies.
- Startup Showcase: Promising startups will showcase their innovative solutions, attracting potential investors, partners, and customers.
- Networking Opportunities: Opportunity to connect with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and like-minded individuals, fostering collaborations and expanding professional networks.
Since 2015, the Akwa Ibom tech ecosystem has grown exponentially, at rates never seen before in the State’s 36-year history.
The number of Innovation hubs has increased from 2 to 14 in the last 7 years. This has resulted in the training of more than 3,000 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.
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.
Despite this growth, the ecosystem in its nascent and sprawling phase is facing challenges of poor funding, a weak and unfavourable regulatory environment, inadequate infrastructure and an unstructured workforce for talent.
Organized by Ibom Innovation Network Ltd, Ibom Tech Week is bringing together; industry players, regulators, innovators, government agencies and investors to achieve the following objectives:
- To define and defend the proposition of Akwa Ibom State as “Africa’s New Tech Destination”.
- To galvanize support for actualizing the mission of making Akwa Ibom Africa’s New Tech Destination.
- To showcase the innovation, talents and products from out of Akwa Ibom state that are creating real value on the continent
The second edition of this event, which is organized by the Ibom Innovation Network, is spearheaded by Hanson Johnson, Amanda Etuk, Dr. Odiong Akpan, Aniekan Ani-Ezekiel, Lawrence Akubue, Victoria Fabunmi and many others within the committee.
The tech and startup ecosystem are enjoined to attend the Akwa Ibom Tech Week 2023 to enable them to be part of the revolution that will shape the future of technology set to be unveiled at the event.
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