Policymakers, investors to discuss innovation at summit

Policymakers and investors will gather at StartupSouth 2024, Nigeria’s premier technology and business innovation conference, to discuss ways to harness innovation and technology for sustainable growth.

The organisers said in a statement on Sunday that the event would feature tech leaders like the co-founder of BudgIT, Seun Onigbinde; the founder of Xend, Ugochukwu Aronu; the board chairman of ChipLab, Yen Choi; the Group CEO of WakaNow, Adebayo Adedeji, and others.

The ninth edition of the conference, scheduled for October 3-4 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, will have six key tracks, including policy innovation, edTech and talent development, climate resilience, creative economy, and business innovation.

Also, the conveners revealed that the refreshed format of the Startup Awards, set for October 4, 2024, will introduce new categories such as Most Innovative Public Institution and Leader, recognising those leveraging technology for public good.

The co-founder of StartupSouth, Uche Aniche, said this year’s theme, “Deep & Broad: Extending Frontiers of Technology and Economic Development”, was a reflection of the organisation’s ongoing mission to drive innovation and deepen economic growth in Nigeria’s frontier regions.

According to Aniche, the conference will showcase the latest trends in technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship across Africa and the region in particular.

He disclosed that StartupSouth started in 2015 as an ambitious initiative to inspire and enable the next generation of dexterous founders and innovators.

“Today, nine years later, I am proud to say that we have grown into the foremost community of founders, policymakers, and investors, as well as a premier platform for technology, business innovation, and networking through our events and programming. We have not only expanded in terms of scale and reach but also in the impact we’ve made on Nigeria’s startup ecosystem,” he stated.