The first day of the 8th edition of StartupSouth kicked off today, and all in attendance were thrilled by the event’s quality.
Available at the events were industry stakeholders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and several other tech and business enthusiasts across Nigeria.
Titled “Deep and Bold: 5IR, Emerging Realities, Regional Economic Imperatives, and the Role of Innovation”, StartupSouth8, the annual conference and meeting place for tech founders, industry players, experts, and investors, is being held in the oil city of Port Harcourt.
Today’s event featured leading figures in the industry sharing insights and revealing their thoughts on the topical issues of our time concerning emerging technologies and the creation of an enabling environment for innovation and entrepreneurship.
The conversations were quite insightful and inspiring. Yau Garba, the National Director of the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, gave a detailed breakdown of the usefulness of design thinking and the need for policy development towards AI and tech growth.
According to Garba, design thinking could bring about innovation. The director, however, noted that if design thinking was brought into public policies, then the success rate of AI development in Nigeria would be high.
Prof. Silva Opuola-Charles, a panel speaker at the event, also noted that young people were already embracing AI, with or without the government. According to him, the government must now find a way to ensure that AI works for everyone.
The audience was particularly thrilled with the story of Elvis Chidera, a 24-year-old staff software engineer at DeliveryHero. The engineer shared his success story of how he transitioned into tech and how young people now have the opportunity to leverage several platforms to get on board.
This year’s edition of the conference also included breakout sessions to discuss issues related to the theme, as mentioned earlier.
Sessions on “Emerging Career Trends” and “Digital Marketing for Businesses” were anchored by Emeritus Harry Porbeni and his Bayelsa Clan, including Lucas Bruce, the founder of Olotu Square; Austin Mathias Otuogha, the founder of ThislookslikeBayelsa; Augustine Brutolu, the founder of Zygote Consulting; and Asieri Odusi, the founder of Bayelsa Tech Hub.
There will be more from the event tomorrow as it will feature keynotes by top business leaders, chats, and a masterclass session on “Media Innovations for Regional and Economic Growth,” which will be anchored by TechEconomy.
