This year’s Nigeria Innovation Summit, organized by InnovationHub Africa earlier this month has come and gone, but there are key takeaway from the Virtual event with the theme: ‘Innovating In Critical Times’.
The three days summit with Keynote Sessions and Presentations, Innovative Showcase by startups, Innovation Management Workshops, Panel Discussions/Interactive Sessions which focused on: Deploying AI To Create Value: Challenges and Opportunities; Ideation and Innovating in Critical Times, and Building Innovation Ecosystem was dedicated to promote innovation in all sectors of the economy in Nigeria.
There were also Start-ups and Innovative Business Presentations, and the announcing the ten innovative startups in Nigeria to watch.
Key takeaway
* Nigeria cannot do without innovative technologies, which are characterised by emerging technologies that are driving great innovation(s), which is the power to drive economic growth and the hallmark of entrepreneurship development.
*The government should intensify in promoting the provision of efficient, available, affordable and easily accessible communications services throughout Nigeria as this will provide investment opportunities for economic growth and development in post COVID-19 era.
*New and evolving technologies are providing huge disruptions across every sector, and Nigeria needs to position herself in Africa to lead the change by facilitating strategic collaborations and partnerships among all the critical stakeholders in her innovation ecosystem. Such an ecosystem must be facilitated by the government in collaboration with the private sector, innovators, and the academics, each playing their key role to build the ecosystem.
* Since the disruptions caused by the Covid19 pandemic to the global economy, ICT has played a very important role for inclusive growth. For innovation to thrive as the anchor for accelerating economic growth, a robust broadband infrastructure upon which ICT innovations will ride is a necessity, especially for MSMEs for enhanced connectivity. NCC has continued to work assiduously with all the stakeholders in ensuring that the nation’s ICT infrastructure is able to meet the increased demand for connectivity, and this must be maintained.
*Growing the digital economy required a safer cyberspace backed by strong programmed and policies aimed at fully supporting, promoting and implementing the national digital economy agenda.
*There is a need to building innovative businesses solutions, and ecosystem development in Nigeria across all the sectors by driving innovation through promoting local content development, and also promoting locally-relevant technological solutions.
* There is need for a collaborative platform for all the key innovation actors. a digital space that decentralises innovation to leverage the increasing mobility of knowledge and innovation that will greatly impart on the socio-economic development of Nigeria as it allows Nigeria the option to leverage local innovation to solve local issues.
*Launch of Open Innovation Nigeria project, and calls for sponsorship of innovation challenges that address needs in healthcare, agriculture, fintech, energy, education, and the using Emerging Technologies to solve any other challenging problems in Nigeria on corporate, state or federal levels.