Kenechukwu Ofomah
Awka
As part of strategies to unite Southeast stakeholders to build a tech-powered region, the first Southeast World-class Digital Summit, SE-WCDS, is set to take place in Enugu.
The summit billed to happen on the 1st of August, is expected to convoke individuals, groups, students, governments, and representatives of every sector of the economy, including Health, Education, Agriculture, Tourism, Finance, and Communication, among others, with a view to educating, training, and empowering them with digital tools that will improve their efficiency.
It will feature lectures, breakout sessions, exhibitions, and interactive sessions, designed to birth opportunities for the development of tech solutions that will foster growth across sectors of the region's economy.
Addressing a press conference, the Chief Executive Officer of Michnet Concept International, Engr Mike Nebo, said the summit is to give a quantum leap to the efforts of the governors of the Southeast States towards advancing the cause of technology.
According to him, the idea behind the digital summit is to bring all the players in the Southeast digitization project to a place, to discuss the challenges and proffer solutions.
“As the world evolves through technology, the society is faced with the challenge of embracing technology and this brings to the fore, the need to keep pace with prevailing realities.
“Also, considering the fact that integrating technology can be tough, the program aims to increase the understanding of how the region can take advantage of technology, to improve its competitiveness.
“If you watch what we are doing at MichNet Concept, we are deploying a lot of tech systems for the schools in Anambra. They now have a strong database. In fact, the software we gave them is the same one they are using in the US for results computation, and transfer of teachers, and we are developing another for greater office management. We believe at the end of the day, we can build even robots that will help the region.
“In Enugu, the governor has done smart schools, while in Abia, Imo and Ebonyi, the governors have also integrated tech in budget development, staff recruitment, and workforce.
“So, these governors have done a lot towards digitizing the systems and we in the tech industry, feel we can help and that’s why we envisioned this Summit to bring everyone on board.
“We are looking at how more technologies can be developed to make systems and processes seamless, in line with what the governments are envisioning for their respective states,” he said.
Engr Nebo further that the Summit will be followed by free training that will last for two weeks online.
“We are going to give out laptops and other digital tools, with the support of some companies, to very serious individuals.
“We are engaging tech companies to subsidize the cost of laptops and other digital tools, through flexible financing options.
“Interested participants should visit www.southeastdigitalsummit.com and register for free. Then follow our YouTube channel.
“The summit will also be streamed live across all the states of the Southeast.
“For further inquiries, you can call 07069697730,” he disclosed.
Also speaking, one of the partners on the project and MD/CEO, Global Star Tech Limited, Ambassador Chinedu Obeche noted that with all its potential, the Southeast region has not been able to maximize the prospects that abound with tech.
This he noted, has made visibility and maximum benefits unrealistic.
“The Southeast region is known as the commercial hub of the country. We boast of one of the biggest markets in Africa. But, the platform for e-commerce was not developed in the Southeast. That shows where we are as a region.
“If there is a problem, there is a tech solution.
“What we want to achieve with the Summit is to bring a paradigm shift that tech can assist in getting us where we want to be.
“We want to build our own Silicon Valley.
“Some days ago, we were trying to get traders at Onitsha Main Market, one of the largest markets in West Africa, to have a system of invoicing that helps to organize their business transactions but we have met a stiff resistance.
“Eventually, we installed a PoS that helps a marketer have every item in his shop in the system, and at one click, he knows his stock balance and where his money is. That technology alone has changed the way his business is run.
“We are building a tech solution that connects the farmer in the bush with the buyer that offtakes such produce.
“The majority of the problem is that we have the product but no visibility. Hence the need for this kind of summit,” he said.
On her part, a media consultant with Michnet Concepts, Mrs Ify Aronu-Okafor said the time has come for the Southeast to begin to develop digitally collectively.
In her words, “What has divided us so far is the unhealthy competition and bickering. But because now, the outlook is global, the world will not sit and watch Southeast states compete among themselves.
“The Southeast needs to unite through tech to become a strong voice in Nigeria and we commend the Southeast governors for taking ICT very seriously.
“So, this summit is to learn from each other, galvanize and build on what we have to become a tech-power region, to begin to go beyond government and engage the private sector effectively.”