The Federal government of Nigeria and has signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with GITEX Global to establish GITEX Nigeria, an initiative that will leverage information technology to boost productivity, showcase Nigerian innovations and startups, attract investors, and provide a platform to connect with global audiences.
Director-General and CEO of the Nigeria National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, who signed the MoU on behalf of Nigeria at the ongoing GITEX Africa 2024 in Marrakech, Morocco, said the partnership is expected to play a crucial role in propelling Nigeria’s tech sector forward and fostering its integration into the global tech landscape.
Abdullahi who emphasised the importance of the partnership and its potential to enhance productivity across various sectors in Nigeria through strategic use of Information Technology, said with the coming of GITEX Nigeria, the expectation was that GITEX Global would hold it’s technology fair in Nigeria sometime in the future.
“What it means is bringing the global experiences of tech conferences to Nigeria. Previously we did not have any conference of this nature in Africa, but now we have GITEX Africa and we went to take the experience to Nigeria where we have the biggest and most vibrant technical system.”
He said GITEX Nigeria would create the necessary experience and would be an ideal platform for networking, exchange of ideas and opportunities for growth.
“By leveraging IT, we can significantly boost productivity in other sectors, driving economic growth and development,” Abdullahi remarked.
The CEO of KAOUN International and Executive Vice President of the Dubai World Trade Centre, Trixie LohMirmand, who signed on behalf of GITEX Global, expressed optimism about the collaboration, saying the goal was to increase the participation of Nigerian startups at GITEX events, by exploring opportunities in areas such as AI, Future Finance, and Health.
“Nigeria is a big market for tech start-ups.We are particularly interested for GITEX to be in Nigeria. We want to bring a unique formula that aligns with the economic expectations of Nigeria, for more opportunities for everyone and to deepen technology advancement in the country, ” LohMirmand remarked.
The signing of the MoU generally represents a crucial step towards integrating Nigeria into the global tech ecosystem, providing new avenues for innovation, collaboration, and economic growth.
