Experts @ EduNet Target Africa’s Regional Incubation Hub

Technology experts have advocated for the creation of regional technology incubation hub to galvanize strengths of African technology entrepreneurs for even development.

They made the submission at the at EduNet Conference 2014 held at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, adding that Africa must form a common front top address several issues mitigating against entrepreneurship education and advancement in the region.

Speaking during a panel discussion at the Conference, Dr. Audrey Elizabeth Verhaeghe, chief executive officer, Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability (RIIS), said that Africa is blessed with vibrant and enthusiastic young entrepreneurs who are limited by hubs clustered around countries in the Continent and majority overwhelmed by internal challenges.

According to her, the sustainability of the individual country’s efforts largely depends on a clearinghouse for African innovators to depend on to boost their global relevance. 

Verhaeghe added that infrastructural transformation, seed-funds, entrepreneurship schemes, among others might not yield expected results with disintegrated human capacity.

She said that technology entrepreneurs need to tap from the experiences of those who had failed at a point in the process of building a business.

This, she said, will minimize the dearth of innovations that never saw the light of the day.

Nodding in agreement, Professor Francis Adesina, director, OAU Institute for Entrepreneurship and Development Studies, linked Nigeria’s and Africa’s developmental agenda as revolving around technology entrepreneurship.

He said, Nigeria and Africa at large, must learn from China which in the ‘30s opened its doors to different markets, exposing the people to developmental models for the future.

“Even at a time Nigeria had more economic prospects to succeed than Singapore, but today the reverse is the case. We must think like the Chinese Government which opened it market in the ‘30s and that spurred the bold steps we are seeing from them. We must begin to think on how to connect to one another to achieve meaningful development in the sector.

Earlier, Tomi Harry Davis (TD), chairman, TechnoVision Communications, said that technology innovators in Nigeria should re-strategize to ensure they think global while developing locally relevant applications and solutions.

“How can we, for instance, our tertiary institutions make us proud by incubating students to develop apps like WassApp, twitter, facebook, BlackBeries of this world. Our students too need to start thinking beyond the present.

Speaking on the Conference theme: “Fostering Technology Entrepreneurship in Nigerian Universities”, Prof Adeshola Aderounmu, director ICT centre of Obafemi Awolowo University, represented by Temitope Aladesanmi, head Internet Services at the ICT centre, said the imperative issue relies on building Technology Entrepreneurship Ecosystem within the Nigerian University Community with key examples from the Israel Technology and Innovation Ecosystem.

“We are happy to host this year’s EduNet Conference at the ICT Centre of the University, the idea of fostering Technology Entrepreneurship in Nigeria is key to economic development of the country. That is why our centre decided to be part of this conference,” said.

On his part, Kenneth Omeruo, coordinator, EduNet 2014, said, “The 4th edition of EduNet conference now highlighted the need for Nigerian universities to lead the way in the development of technology entrepreneurship in Africa.

Meanwhile, the Conference provided platform for discussions with the Government, ICT directors of Nigerian Universities, Regulatory authorities of the Nigerian Universities, Funding/partnering organizations and the Technology industry in Nigeria.