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Tag: GITEX

  • GITEX: Africa must urgently embrace AI to avoid falling behind – Minister Tijani

    GITEX: Africa must urgently embrace AI to avoid falling behind – Minister Tijani

    The Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has called on African nations to be deliberate and strategic in acquiring and deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) to boost productivity and development.

    Speaking on Monday at the opening of the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) Conference in Abuja, Tijani warned that Africa risks widening its productivity gap if it fails to take AI adoption seriously.

    “Artificial Intelligence is set to redefine productivity everywhere. Across the world, nations are already applying AI to automate processes, analyse data at scale, and optimise resources in ways we could only imagine a decade ago,” he said.

    He cautioned that countries already advanced in AI will accelerate even faster, leaving Africa further behind if urgent steps are not taken.

    Using agriculture as an example, Tijani noted that Nigeria’s maize yield averages 2.5 tonnes per hectare compared to 5–6 tonnes in South Africa and 10–12 tonnes in Brazil. He attributed the difference not to land or rainfall but to productivity driven by precision agriculture, connectivity, data, and AI.

    “In Brazil, farmers use AI-driven soil sensors and predictive analytics to decide the exact time to plant and harvest. In South Africa, satellite imaging and drone technology, combined with AI models, allow farmers to monitor crops in real time and respond to threats faster,” he explained.

    The minister urged African governments to act decisively, stressing that AI must be seen as a tool for transformation rather than just technology.

    “Meanwhile, in Nigeria, many farmers still rely on guesswork and traditional practices because they lack access to these tools.

    The result? Farmers elsewhere are producing four to five times more food on the same land.

    The Minister further maintained that AI is not just about agriculture. He further cited examples in education, logistics and finance, stressing that “AI is becoming the engine of productivity. And productivity is the foundation of competitiveness, wealth creation, and jobs.

    “If we cannot close this gap, Africa risks becoming a continent of consumers—importing food, importing services, importing innovation—instead of producers and leaders. That is not the Africa we want.

    “That is why AI must not be treated as an afterthought. It must be at the centre of our strategy as African leaders.

    Read Also: GITEX 2025: Over 300 foreign investors to storm Nigeria, says NITDA boss

    Stating categorically that he doesn’t believe in wholesale harmonisation of strategies, he advocated balancing Sovereignty with Unification, leveraging our youthful population, digitising our realities and building Infrastructure together.

    Dr Tijani said, “Each of our countries must pursue AI based on our own realities and data. But we cannot afford fragmentation. We need shared standards, common protocols, and harmonised governance frameworks—so that our collective strength is greater than the sum of our parts.

    “Africa’s young people are our greatest advantage. AI will disrupt jobs—but it will also create new ones. We must prepare our youth now, with initiatives like

    Nigeria’s 3 Million Technical Talent program, and similar projects across the continent. This is how we build a future-ready workforce.

    “We must digitise our lives, our languages, our farms, our health systems—at scale. Without African datasets, we will forever depend on models trained elsewhere, on data that does not reflect us.

    “AI depends on three things: connectivity, compute, and clean energy. Today, these remain expensive and unevenly distributed across Africa. As leaders, we must collaborate on medium and long-term infrastructure plans that bring down costs and unlock participation for everyone.

    “The decisions we make today will shape how Africa participates in this AI-driven world. Our children must be able to look back and say: our leaders prepared us, our leaders secured our future, our leaders refused to let Africa be left behind.

    That is the responsibility before us. And that is the opportunity of Artificial Intelligence for Africa”.

  • NITDA promotes 16 startups at GITEX

    The  National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) said Nigeria is participating at this year’s GITEX Technology fiesta in Dubai with 16 startup firms’ to showcase the potential of the country’s human and material resources to change the continent.

    NITDA’s Director-General, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, while interacting with the startups community at the event, said: “We have the potential as a country to be major game changer in the global technology industry and we have the human capacity to drive the momentum that could impact significantly on our economy and the rest of the continent.”

    The GITEX Technology Week 2016 is one of the world’s most influential technology events, opened this week with startups and innovative technologies from some major information communication technology (ICT) firms such as Precise Financial Systems (PFS) and Systemspecs, providers of the Remita solutions.

    The Technology week is hosting about 4,000 exhibitors and 64 participating countries in conference sessions, 230 global thought leaders will deliver insights across 65 sessions and 130 conference hours.

    Guiding organisations in their digital transformation, the GITEX Vertical Days conference programme will feature in-depth discussions from industry leaders on the key industry verticals of marketing, healthcare, finance, intelligent cities, retail, education, and energy.

  • NITDA, NIPC seek support for GITEX

    The Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Peter Jack and the Executive Secretary/CEO of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Mrs. Uju Aisha Hassan Baba, have expressed  support and participation at the GITEX Leader’s Congress on Innovation and Investment, holding next month in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

    Also tipped to speak for Nigeria at the GITEX Congress, is the Country Director of the ICT4SOML Project, Mr. Olasupo Oyedepo.

    ‘The Internet of Everything’ (IoT) is the main theme for GITEX 2015. The sub-themes are Big Data, Cloud, Mobility, and Security.

    GITEX, which stands for Gulf Information Technology Exhibition, is the third largest technology event on the planet. GITEX’s 35th edition is holding this year with over 145,000 technology professionals, governments, investors and other trade visitors expected at the five day event. The 34th edition last year with Nigeria as Official Country Partner, had over 143,000 visitors from 150 countries.

    Gitex is strategically positioned as the gateway to the Middle East, Africa and South Asia’s ICT Industry.

    This year, Nigeria is promoting some of her ICT startups in addition to already established companies shopping for offshore deals and partners. The Nigerian Country Pavilion with 20 exhibitors in all has the Nigerian Communications Commission and the NIPC, as key government players. The NIPC is leveraging on the event to showcase the country’s investment potential.

    The GITEX Leaders Summit is a high level leadership conference focusing on Smart Cities and IoT bringing the government and private sectors together.

    NITDA will be showcasing one of Nigeria’s smart city project, in partnership with Chams Plc. The country’s other speakers are expected to feature in the plenary on the impact of IoT or Machine to Machine (M2M) across multiple industries in the GITEX TechVertical conferences that cover retail, oil and gas, banking, healthcare, education.

    According to Jack, “Nigeria is using the GITEX platform to promote Nigeria, Nigerian related ICT businesses, where new commercial partnerships can be explored, including those with: telecom operators, mobile app developers, and mobile enabled transaction service providers from Nigeria.”

    Part of the activities built around Nigeria’s presence at GITEX is the Nigeria Pavilion Investment Forum, with the country’s pavilion  occupying the entrance foyer of the expo.

     

  • NITDA to showcase 20 tech exhibitors at GITEX

    The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is firming up the country’s participation in the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) holding this October in Dubai with about 20 companies and organisations selected to participate inside the Nigerian Pavilion.

    The exhibitors include public and private enterprises notably ICT startups for which the NITDA is hinging its 2015 participation in the 2015 GITEX Expo and Conference which usually attracts over 145, 000 participants from about 120 countries.

    In a GITEX Prep Forum in Abuja, the Director-General, NITDA, Mr. Peter Jack, said Nigeria would leverage on the theme of this year’s event ‘The Internet Future of Everything’, to promote some of its budding innovators who have created solutions with strong market or commercial values. The innovators cut across sectors across including the retail industry, agriculture, education, security, oil and gas, and health care.

    “We want to ensure promotion of local start-ups, projection of the country’s vast and untapped information technology potential, organisation of Nigeria’s IT Investment Forum within the Nigerian Pavilion as well as distribution of IT intelligence material from Nigeria to the rest of the world at GITEX,” said Mr. Jack while addressing participants that included heads of other government agencies, industry associations and corporate institutions including the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Mrs. Uju Aisha Hassan-Baba, President, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Lanre Ajayi, and CEO of Chams Plc, Mr. Demola Aladekomo,.

    “GITEX is not about you buying space or setting up as an exhibitor or trade visitor, the question is whether you think it’s time to take your business global. Business has to be both local and global, that is where GITEX can help you leverage on its global networks to build interest in your enterprise and also to endear foreign partners to your business,” said Commercial Director at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), Mr. Bilal Al Rais.  The DWTC are the organisers of GITEX.

    Nigeria was the Country Partner for Gitex 2014 and first debuted at the 35 years old event in 2013.  The NITDA, Nigeria’s IT clearinghouse, is facilitating the country’s participation through the DWTC partnering organisations: Pinnacle International Consulting LLC and Knowhow Media International (KMI). The exhibiting companies include: the NITDA, Nigerian Communication Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), the Nigerian Communications Commission  (NCC) and the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON),  a professional, non-profit, non-political umbrella organisation of all telecommunications companies of Nigeria.

    Others are Nigeria’s first indigenous computer company, Data Sciences Nigeria Limited;  indigenous software development company, Precise Financial Systems (PFS) Limited; system developers and system integrators, Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited; and Sasware, an investment subsidiary of Signal Alliance that provides seed fund for technology and technology-enabled start-ups and those in their growth phase.

    The list also include:  Chams Plc, reputed as the first home-grown company to be listed in Guinness Book of World Records, for setting up the ChamsCity Mega Digital Mall and also the first Computer Technology Company listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the Smartcity innovation Hub; Rlg Communications, an ICT company that started in Ghana but with strong presence in Nigeria, the Gambia, China, Dubai, Kenya, South Africa, Angola, and Rwanda; and multi-services communications company, SKtel Nigeria Limited.

    ing platform that connects with local agents, movers, estate owners, customers and mortgage marketplace; Verge, a software as a service (SaaS) retail management solution for multi-store retailers. Verge helps clients identify critical cash leakages in the business as well as other operational inefficiencies and recommend steps to mitigate them by connecting and analysis critical business data across your outlets; and Medrep.ng,  an e-Commerce and logistics solutions provider for pharmacies and hospitals. With medrep hospitals and pharmacists can now procure drugs, medical equipment and consumables from multiple manufacturers and distributors at the best offered price.

    Other startups on the Nigerian startup list for Gitex 2015 include: Blubird which was designed and developed with the sole aim of providing African business owners (small and medium enterprises) an affordable and easy to use retail management platform to effectively manage their inventory, sales, supplier and customers through an all-in-one platform (software + hardware) that is energy independent. Blubird is an all-in-one-platform that consists of an innovative retail management app running on a 10.1inch android tablet plus a mini thermal receipt printer and 2D barcode scanner. The entire platform is energy independent and once fully charged is able to run in the retail/wholesale outlet for 6-8 hours. The bluebird app runs on Windows and Android platforms.

    The startup list also has Truppr, a social startup that provides a platform for a vibrant community of fitness enthusiasts to connect with events and people around them to help make regular exercise a lifestyle. It is a one-stop-shop for finding and booking sport venues in cities around the world. Truppr simplified process of organizing amateur sporting events and teammates. It is an easy way to find mates / fitness partners even while on a business trip or in a new city.  Others are the cribpark.com marketplace is an online platform which simplifies the experience of intending home owners so they can buy any housing product, from trusted sellers, at best prices, and free delivery; the Foodstantly, which is a Mobile-Web Marketplace for Food. It enables restaurants; fast-food, caterers, farmers and food vendors set up shop and sell online to Millions of Customers as well as facilitate delivery to customers.

     

  • 35 firms for GITEX in Dubai

    More than 35 local ICT firms have indicated interest to participate in the first Nigerian Pavilion at GITEX Technology Week inside the Dubai World Trade Centre, United Arab Emirate (UAE).

    The Nigerian Pavilion is being promoted by Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN) and Pinnacle International Consulting with the support of the Federal Ministry of Communications Technology.

    In a statement by the organisers noted that the technology fair will hold between October 20 and 24 and will be led by a mix of the big, oldest and innovative players like Omatek Computer Ventures Plc, Programmos Solutions Ltd and Data Sciences Nigeria Ltd.

    ITAN Secretariat disclosed that several countries are already billed to have their pavilions on ground at the event to promote their local capacities. They include the USA, Germany, India, Brazil, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Others are Kenya and Morocco from Africa.

    GITEX Technology is the premier Technology event in the Middle East and South East Asia (MEASA), which now occupies over 78,000 sqm of space, and saw Infocomm and ITU (International Telecommunication Union) collocate with it in 2012. More than 150, 000 trade visitors and exhibitors from 144 countries attended Gitex 2012 which recorded over 25,000 visitors from Africa. Over 20,000 C-Level visitors at the event last year; $1.2 million was the average value per order placed during the event and 92 per cent of the exhibitors met their return on investment (RoI) expectations.