Experts set to discuss technology at Innovention Series

The issue of technology and its importance in driving African’s new narrative would form the thematic thrust of this year’s Innovention Series, a public discourse organised by Verdant Zeal, a multi-disciplinary marketing and communications company.

Tagged ‘How Technology is driving Africa’s new narrative,’ the Group Director, Content, Synergy and Innovation, Verdant Zeal, Mr Dapo Adesida believes the  choice of this year’s theme had become imperative if Africa is to catch up with the rest of the world.

He explained that with a huge population and a lot of infrastructure deficiencies, technology remains the only tool to deploy for Africa to make an impact in the new civilisation.

“Internet penetration in Africa has been gathering momentum over the last half decade as we seek to close gap on ICT with western climes and with all these trends, Nigeria leads the continent and is expected to be among the top 10 internet-using countries in the world by 2018.

“In recent years, a lot of African countries have embraced technology as a driver of development. Africa has 28.6 per cent internet penetration with Nigeria having 11.3 per cent of the total penetration in Africa.  This shows that Nigeria is a big player in the African market.

“Africa is gradually moving from a resource-based economy to knowledge-based innovation driven economy. This has helped in impacting our youths as more youths now are exposed to the internet. It is our belief therefore at Verdant Zeal that the issue of technology has become very germane; since it is the continent’s last chance to catch up with the rest of world,” he stated.

Speaking on the Series, scheduled for March, this year, in Lagos, the Managing Director, Gr8 Measures Media, a subsidiary of the Verdant Zeal Group, Mr Charles Imuzeze explained that the lecture which was instituted five years ago, was designed as a platform to examine the question of the continent’s development, analyse its opportunities for growth while focusing on leveraging inherent strengths.

He disclosed that besides the choices of Mr Segun Agbaje, Managing Director, GTBank and Mr Hakeem Bello, Chairman, Etisalat Nigeria as the keynote address speaker and chairman of the event respectively, there will be a panel of discussants, consisting of tech-savvy personalities, who have carved a niche for themselves in the corporate world through the instruments of technology.

Imuzeze also disclosed that as a way of expanding the frontiers of the Lecture Series, arrangements are being made to hold the next edition of the lecture in Accra, Ghana.

According to him, beside enhancing the clout of the annual symposium, it would also give it an international  status.

The agency’s Group Director, Marketing and Business Development, Nkiruka Oguadinma, explained that though introduced five years ago, this year’s Innovention series would also form part of the company’s 10th year anniversary events.

Other activities slated for the event, she stated, include a photo exhibition and award ceremony, designed to celebrate staff and clients, for their loyalty to the company in the past one decade.