Vertex Next has successfully hosted the highly anticipated IoT West Africa, Data Centre & Cloud Expo Africa, and Power & Water Nigeria, a landmark co-located event to accelerate Africa’s digital and energy transformation.
The 3-day event brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and technology experts to showcase how IoT, AI, cloud computing, data centers, and digital energy solutions are accelerating growth across Africa’s key sectors.
The event opened with a welcome address by Anoosh Sirkeck, chief of staff, Strategic Growth Leader at Vertex Next as he set the stage for three days of knowledge exchange, networking, and collaboration.
“From cutting-edge AI application to expanding cloud, renewable energy and right to sustainable smart cities, this event is more than a technology gathering its about the future. Through this 3-day event, our goal is simple: to ignite a meaningful partnership, to attract critical infrastructure investment and to empower a new era of digital, inclusive and sustainable growth.
This is more than a conference, this is a movement towards the future where technology powers opportunity. Where sustainability drives development and where energy isn’t just a resource but a right.
Let’s use this platform to listen, learn and collaborate. Thank you for being part of this journey, together let’s shape Africa’s intelligent, connected and prosperous tomorrow.”
Delivering the opening keynote titled, “A Bird’s Eye View of IoT: Mapping the Future of Connected Intelligence in Africa,” Kashifu Inuwa, the Director-General, NITDA, ably represented by Dr. Aristotle Onumo, Director Stakeholder Management and Partnerships, NITDA underscored IoT’s role in optimizing operations across industries.
His presentation explored the transformative potential of IoT in shaping Africa’s digital future, emphasising innovation, collaboration, and the strategic role of stakeholders in accelerating smart solutions across all sectors for inclusive development.
“Think about it in a while, in Africa, in Nigeria, where our grid system has a self-healing mechanism, that even before they break down, you already know what the costs are going to be,”
With Nigeria accounting for a significant 40% of Africa’s massive 1.4 billion population, the potential impact of IoT adoption within the country is huge.
The DG further stated that Nigeria provides an enabling ground for a massive mobile penetration, thus offering an opportunity for the country to match up its development and augment critical sectors.
According to the DG, the healthcare sector is also a beneficiary of the IoT technology as it promises wearable IoT devices that can close the rural-urban gap. He addedthat smart sensors and real-time data analytics are revolutionizing agriculture, logistics, and urban planning, with Nigeria’s Lagos-Ibadan railway modernization cited as a case study in IoT-driven efficiency.
Through platforms like IoT West Africa, NITDA continues to champion the digital transformation agenda in line with the Federal Government’s vision for a connected, secure, and prosperous Nigeria.
A subsequent keynote on “Building Digital Infrastructure for Sustainable Rural Electrification in Nigeria” by Dr. Bala Tyoden, Project Manager, Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria, spotlighted hybrid solar-grid systems and blockchain-enabled energy trading as pathways to bridge the electrification gap.
Over 60% of Nigeria’s rural population remains off-grid, and experts emphasized public-private partnerships as critical to scaling decentralized energy solutions.
The Power Keynote, “Strengthening the Utilities Sector with Fast Adoption of Advanced Technologies for Future-Ready Infrastructure”, by Engr. Vincent Ozoude MD/CEO Transafam Powerfocused on modernizing utilities through advanced technologies, including AI-powered grid management and predictive maintenance tools. Africa’s energy demand projected to triple by 2030.
He called for urgent investments in smart meters, renewable integration, and cybersecurity frameworks to safeguard infrastructure.
A panel session, “Advancing Efficiency, Automation, and Sustainability in the Oil and Gas Sector,” led by Ekeinde Ohiwerei, GM Corporate Services, NLNG explored how digital twins, edge computing, and automation are reshaping exploration, production, and environmental compliance.
Industry leaders from Nigeria’s Ministry of Petroleum Resources and leading energy firms discussed strategies to reduce flaring, enhance safety, and align with global net-zero targets. The panelists include, Segun Oyeniyi, Division Manager, ICT, Oando PLC and Alexey Ushakov Business Development Manager (Segments) – Cummins Inc.
According to the organizers, in the last 3 years this platform has merged more than 13,000 delegates, 100 exhibitors and speakers, regionally and internationally. The aim of the event is to showcase the latest trends in technology, AI, IoT field and then we see how all these trends and technologies would make our work faster and smarter.
Featured Image(L-R): Dr. Bala Tyoden Project Manager, Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria; Meher Bedi,Director, Exhibition, Vertex Next; Dr. Aristotle Onumo, Director Stakeholder Management and Partnerships, NITDA during the IoT West Africa, Data Centre, Cloud Expo and Conference, co-located with Power and Water Nigeria, organized by Vertex Next
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