Yemisi Izuora
The Telecommunication and Technology Sustainability Working Group (TTSWG) has officially opened invitation for young and ambitious innovators from across Nigeria to participate in the Innovation Makers Challenge (IMC) 2023 at the inaugural press conference held recently at Ikoyi, Lagos.
IMC is an initiative of TTSWG that aims to foster sustainable innovations in Nigeria’s technology and telecommunication sectors by showcasing and rewarding emerging talents in these fields as well as providing a Launchpad to scale up their solutions.
The occasion saw the presence of John Isiekwene, Sustainability Manager at IHS Towers; Chris Uwaje, CEO of Mobile Software Solutions and Board Member of TTSWG; Adedoyin Segun-Noibi, General Manager of Quomodo Systems Africa; Bankole Oloruntoba, CEO of Nigeria Climate Innovation Center (NCIC); Faderera Segun, Program and Partnership Manager at Arnergy Solar; Precious Francis, Communications and Knowledge Officer at NCIC; and Gbolahan Awonuga, Executive Secretary of ALTON.
Young people aged 18 – 35 from all over Nigeria can take part in the challenge. Successful applicants who reach the final stage will get to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges that will select the winners at the Grand Finale Conference and Exhibition scheduled for Thursday, November 9, 2023. The top three overall winners will be awarded a cash prize of ₦2,000,000, ₦1,000,000 and ₦500,000 respectively.
Besides the cash prizes, the participants stand a chance to also benefit from world-class expert training and mentorship through the Innovation Bootcamp, opportunities to pitch to investors, network with established technology professionals and exhibit their innovations for free at the IMC Conference 2023.
Hosted live at the Eko Convention Center, Victory Island, Lagos, the IMC Conference will ignite transformative dialogues on Africa’s technology and telecommunications future while showcasing emerging innovations in Nigeria. It boasts a diverse lineup of global speakers including Kate Hancock, Founder, Metaverse XYZ and TEDx Speaker; Oluwole Asalu, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Quomodo Systems Africa; Lanre Bamisebi, Executive Director, Access Corporation; Chuks Ekwueme, Chairman, UNICCON Group, and many others.
Expounding on the significance of the IMC, Chris Uwaje, Mobile Software Solutions and Board Member, Telecommunication and Technology Sustainability Working Group (TTSWG) remarked “The world is world is moving so fast but Nigeria is being left behind. The discovery of talent is a part of the strategic tool fit competing for a great nation. We cannot have benefits unless we surmount the challenge within the realm of technology through the IMC, TTSWG aims to target disruptive ideas, discover and nurture the emerging talents that can disrupt the existing system and bail the country out in the future.”
The Chief Executive Officer of NCIC, Bankole Oloruntoba, also lauded the IMC and emphasized the importance of establishing a dedicated funding pool to support emerging innovative ideas. “We are supporting these youngsters from their current stage to be more globally accepted and solve tangible and functional challenges regarding sustainability as well as other environmental issues confronting the telecom sector,” he added.