TechPlus is a gathering of everything technology, providing a robust tripartite tech experience through its conferences, exhibitions and gaming structures whilst serving as a platform for knowledge sharing and networking for the consumers and businesses. Over 5,000 participants and notable technology leaders converged in Lagos for TechPlus 2016 which held at the Eko Hotels Conference Centre, Lagos, Nigeria.
The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Chairperson of Alliance for Affordable Internet Dr. Omobola Johnson and other tech experts have highlighted Nigeria’s key role in Africa’s highly anticipated technology revolution.
Giving her opening remark at Africa’s biggest technology conference, Dr. Omobola Johnson stated that developments in technology are fundamentally altering the way people live, connect, communicate and transact. These developments, in her view, have had profound effects on economic development in Nigeria and Africa at large. According to her, the way out of this situation is for Africa to promote tech advancement, invest in quality education for youth, continuous skills training for workers and for all stakeholders to understand the importance of the continuous IT revolution.
“Innovation is the primary driver of technological growth and drives higher living standards. As an engine of growth, the potential of technology is endless.”
The Lagos State Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr. Olufemi Odubiyi noted that access and application of technology has become quite critical in today’s society. He stressed that service and technology are the differentiators between countries that are able to tackle poverty effectively by growing and developing their economies, and those that can’t.
The commissioner who was represented by Mr. Jide Adenuga, Director of Computer Service in the State, said the extent to which developing economies emerge as economic powerhouses depends on their ability to grasp and apply insights from science and technology and use them creatively.
Chief Enterprise Business Officer, MTN Nigeria, Linda Saint-Nwafor who represented the Managing Director, highlighted the importance of the TechPlus conference to technology promotion and adoption in Nigeria’s ecosystem, saying it’s a gathering to debate, interact and share ideas that will benefit everyone.
Mr. Tunji Adeyinka, Managing Director of Connect Marketing – organizers of the conference – added that TechPlus has come at the right time to tap into the buzz surrounding technology in the country. His words: “We see our platform as a catalyst which will bring together the entire ecosystem. When we started we were looking to create a platform that would allow companies, individuals and businesses in the tech space to bring together customers, clients and for all players to showcase their products and services. Before now, we had lots of talk shops, but this event is meant to be a practical opportunity to talk about technology and feel the impact that technology has on different facets of life both from a business perspective and from a consumer perspective.”
The theme for this year’s event is ‘A Connected World’. This could not have come at a more auspicious time as Cisco had predicted there will be 20.8 billion connected devices by 2020. TechPlus seeks to highlight the increasing connecting nature of the world and identify Nigeria’s role in this new global reality through a variety of different ‘tracks’.
From government’s increasing commitment to the development of the ICT sector, to the rapid emergence of innovation hubs and incubators across the country, it is clear that technology is on the brink of revolutionizing the country and TechPlus is gravitating towards becoming a key part of this dialogue.
