Lagos, Nigeria, July 31 -The second edition of Global Technology Africa (GTA) Conference.held from July 24-26 at the Landmark Event Center in Lagos, Nigeria, brought together over 6,000 attendees, 85+ sessions, 100+ speakers, ground-breaking exhibitors and innovative startups, showcasing the “Global Partnerships, Local Transformations”.
The Conference included three dynamic stages and the trading room
1. Epicenter Stadium: Government representatives, companies and VVIP delegations explored opportunities and faced challenges in Africa’s technology landscape.
2. Startup Stage: Thought leaders and tech founders participated in panels and workshops on artificial intelligence, fintech, cyber security and more.
3. Outsourcing Factory Stage: In partnership with GFA Technology, Kryptr and Jobberman is designed to empower Africa’s young talent with training workshops and outsourcing.
4. Deal Room: is a Global Tech Africa initiative in partnership with One Africa to deliver its first edition. It was designed to connect innovative startups with potential investors and support technology businesses in Africa.
Main points
- Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi (Director General, NITDA) highlighted the government’s commitment to technological innovation for economic diversification.
- Ralph Simon (Founder, Mobilium) discussed the potential of artificial intelligence for the local transformation of Africa.
- Kenise Hill (Acting Political and Economic Chief, US Consulate General Lagos) highlighted US-Africa partnerships in AI development.
- Hon. Akinyemi Ajigbotafe (Commissioner, Ministry of Wealth Creation & Employment, Lagos State) introduced the Empower Lagos Project for young people and small scale entrepreneurs.
- Anna Sophie Herkin (CEO, GIZ) focused on bridging the funding gap for women entrepreneurs.
Panel Sessions and Masterclasses
The conference featured panels on women’s empowerment, artificial intelligence, fintech, agriculture, edtech, health tech and cyber security. Important sessions included:
- “Unlocking Liquidity: Catalyzing Growth Through Strategic Investment and Innovation” with industry leaders from Venture Garden Group, SEC Nigeria, NITDA, MoFI, Flying Doctors Healthcare Investment Group and Deloitte.
- “Empowering the Workforce: Tackling Africa’s Talent Crisis (Technical Roles)” with experts from Career Buddy, Helium Health, Semicolon and Alajo.
- Cosmetics Meet Technology – Big Data and Analytics: Customer Insights Drive Product and Marketing with experts from MINCE/ XPT.
- Adapting Global Best Practices – Shaping Nigeria’s AI Policy for Africa: A legislative tracker from the American Business Council, designed to give growing organizations an overview of policies and how they can contribute to it, presented by representatives of the American Business Council, Lagos Business School, PwC and NCAIR (National Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics).
- AI training for women in business and technology with leaders from NITDA, Simplify Synergy, Sh’Emerge, Nextwear Technologies and Yudimy.
- Edutech Roundtable with experts discussing the future of learning in Africa and intellectual property rights.
Masterclasses covered topics such as machine learning, business transformation, mobile app development, data analytics and operations management, led by professionals from Sterling Bank, GFA Technologies, Clane-Payments, Wema Bank and Autogirl.
The Deal Room
The Deal Room we saw over 10 investors focus on over 150 selected investors representing 16 industries including technology and solutions, energy and environment, food and agriculture, gaming, fashion and retail and many others. Some of the investors include:
- USADF: specializing in solar and climate change industry companies.
- DFS Africa: Focus on startups and post-revenue stage companies.
- Mainbridge UK: Focus on early stage technology startups.
- Endeavor Nigeria: Targeting early stage startups.
- Real Nigeria: Focus on post-revenue stage companies.
- Twelve Vests: Specializing in post-revenue stage companies.
- Genius Hub Global: Investment in the creative industry.
- Solar Centric: Investment in fintech and energy sectors.
- Plug platform: I am interested in sustainable and social impact investments.
- Cocoa Ventures LLC: with interest in startups.
Showcasing and Networking
Tech companies and startups showcased their innovative products including; Emerging Innovators, Chibby Danganafounder, Data Factory, Ayomide Onasaniaco-founder, Kryptr, Oma Are, Session, Africa AI Summit, and Caroline Moorefounder, Ideasmarketplace, complemented by refreshments from local brands such as Best Nigeria, Chow Noodles.
The National Creativity Competition highlighted the innovative ideas of university students, with standout projects such as reusable pads by Gbemisola of the College of Nursing, Oyo.
Closure and Future Outlook
The GTA 2024 conference was a vibrant convergence of Africa’s brightest minds and key technology stakeholders, facilitated by partners such as Future Map Foundation, NITDA, US Consulate General Lagos, Ascend Studios Foundation and Venture Garden Group. The event highlighted the enormous potential of Africa’s digital economy and the collective commitment to its growth and development.
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