Nigeria gears up for GITEX as NITDA inaugurates LOC to promote innovation and Ease of Doing Business

To expand Nigeria’s portfolio of technology opportunities, ensure the country’s effective participation at this year’s GITEX and to also expose her startups, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has inaugurated the Gitex 2018 Local Organizing Committee (LOC). The event holds from October 14 – 18, 2018 at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) is the premier technology event in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The event annually hosts over 184, 000 trade visitors and delegates from more than 140 countries, and over 4000 world class exhibitors from about 97 countries. GITEX Technology Week is a five-day event,” to become one of the most globe’s biggest technology gathering for governments and top decision makers.

“We remain firm and committed to promoting technology deployment and building our local IT industry to world standard through participation in global events that further exposes the players to trends in the industry,” said Director-General/CEO, NITDA, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami while recently inaugurating the GITEX LOC as well as the LOC for eNigeria.

Dr Pantami urged the GITEX LOC to explore rather than exploit opportunities at improving Nigeria’s participation at such global events. He said “to explore requires that we keep thinking of how better a thing can be no matter the level of success already achieved. To exploit is to be contented with our achievement and not to desire to improve or to be dynamic to keep raising the bar. I urge you all to explore new ideas and new ways at which we can improve our continuous participation at GITEX, an international event and eNigeria, our own national event that is already having an international clout.”

The GITEX LOC which draws members from both public and private sectors has since gone to work with sub-committees for Startups, Pavilion Management, Media and Sector Profiling, and the GITEX LOC Secretariat. Members were enlisted from the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, Bank of Industry, NIGCOMSAT Limited and Nigerian Export Promotion Council. Others are from the Nigeria Computer Society and Pinnacle International Consulting LLC, the DWTC Sole Representative for GITEX in Nigeria and West Africa.

GITEX Startup Sponsorship application

The Startup sub-committee is being managed by the Office for ICT Innovation & Entrepreneurship (OIIE) under NITDA. The NITDA is sponsoring some carefully selected Nigerian startups to exhibit and participate in the Global Startup Movement and Expo in GITEX. To enable more startups to participate the GITEX Startup Sponsorship application was extended by the NITDA to now close September 2, 2018 as against the former date of August 25, 2018. Some of Nigerian startups are expected to compete in the GITEX Future Stars (GFS) competition which further exposes the winners to a large pool of global venture capitalists, mentors and angel investors.

“We plan to engage the international community and leverage on continuous exposure of our country’s investment potential in the IT sector. We need every member of the LOC to come up with strategic ideas on how the country can best leverage on this international exposure in line with how the director general has tasked us all,” said the GITEX LOC chairman Dr Agu Collins Agu, who is also the director of Corporate Planning and Strategy at NITDA.

During the official inauguration, the GITEX LOC members were put through a PowerPoint presentation by Pinnacle’s Mr Olusegun Oruame on the value proposition of GITEX and how the event is impacting on countries and businesses in the last 38 years.

“NITDA is seeking to expose our young and talented startups to investors, global IT buyers and tech acquisition specialists keen to know more about the country and willing to explore partnerships and business opportunities,” said Dr Vincent Olatunji, alternate chairman of the GITEX LOC and director of eGovernment Development and Regulation at NITDA.

The LOC is expected to firm up invitations to those who will make the official list of Nigeria’s Official Delegation as well as manage the select exhibitors inside the Nigerian Country Pavilion. Nigeria will be joining about 97 other countries to promote and explore technology opportunities; especially as the country seeks to improve the value of its non-oil sectors to her GDP.