ANSICTA to Hold Maiden Anambra Innovation Stakeholders Summit on July 28

All is now set for the maiden edition of the Anambra Innovation Stakeholders Summit 2021 being organised by Anambra State Information and Communication Technology Agency (ANSICTA).

The summit scheduled to hold virtually on Wednesday July 28, 2021, with the theme “Incubating A Digital Revolution,” would rally discussions on the resilience and creativity needed to drive development, innovation and technological advancement of Anambra especially in a time of the COVID-19 crisis.

It will offer Anambrians an opportunity to reflect on skills, ideas, finances, commitments and policies needed today and for the future.

Speaking about the summit,Mr. Mike Orekyeh, Special Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State on Information Communication Technology (ICT), said that the thrust of the summit would provide solid basis that will fuel the adoption of STEM and digital skills training in schools and markets in Anambra State.

He noted that Anambra which has the highest literacy rates in Nigeria should lead the conversation in tech innovation ecosystem, instead of joining the bandwagon.

According to him, “The growth of the technology and innovation sector offers new possibilities for Anambra’s growing labor force, in terms of competing and surviving the new industrial revolution, creating employment and building entrepreneurship.

“Nigeria’s innovation space has found creative solutions and is growing as more technology hubs are being established in the country, pushing Nigeria towards a knowledge based economy.

“Anambra is positioned to not just join the conversation but to lead it.

“As the Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo noted: ‘…The future of Nigeria is not oil or solid minerals, but about technology, innovation. Tech innovation is all about highly-skilled people, entrepreneurship spirit and a supporting ecosystem of government, investors, mentors and global collaboration.’

“We believe that Anambra state being the heart and gateway of the southeast including already being a trade/business destination can simultaneously take the lead in the digital innovation birthing in Nigeria generally and the southeast specifically to pave the way for a new breed of techpreneurs and innovators in building “Onitsha / Awka/ Nnewi” – our own standard of the silicon valley but we can call ours the Anambra Innovation Corridor”.

He further explained that Onitsha & Nnewi being the two most important commercial and industrial cities in Nigeria need a strategic move to bring the industries and markets online, which he said would have an enormous economic impact in Nigeria.

He  said, “our vsion in ANSICTA is to bring our major towns and cities online, provide enabling digital infrastructure to connect schools, hospitals, businesses and governance online for a seamless step into the future.

“This approach and also bringing the many markets online and enabling them to digitize their markets and become discoverable have enormous potential to drive economic growth and activity.

Mr. Orekyeh emphasised that ANSICTA intends to train 40,000 people in 2 years and scale it up to 100,000persons in 4 years time.

The Objectives of the summit according to Mr. Orekyeh are:

-Raise awareness on the importance of ensuring strategic investments in innovation and technology in Nigeria generally and Southeast/Anambra specifically.

-Highlight practical global best practices and lessons learned that can be replicated in Anambra towards reimagining innovation, growth, scalability and profitability in addressing present and future prospects.

– Discuss practical ways in which investors, donors, venture capitalists and the private sector can collaborate with government and civil society organizations to enable necessary investments needed accelerate growth.

-Identify policies approaches to support the growth of startup ecosystems and networksin Anambra

-Reimagining and reinventing educational approaches to reposition Anambra as a technological innovation destination of the future.

He added that participants will learn how private and public stakeholders can replicate growth models and invest in innovative ideas from Anambra focusing mainly on digital technology, scalable initiatives and creativity.

The summit will include keynote addresses and 5 panel sessions by select experts and key leaders.

For more information, please contact Mike Orekyeh at mike.orekyeh@anambrastate.gov.ng