As a leader in Africa’s telecommunications industry, MTN is shaping the future of digital inclusion, financial technology, and economic empowerment through its investments in 5G technology, high-speed routers, and digital platforms.

MTN’s emphasis on 5G expansion and its transformative impact on Africa’s digital wealth was a key highlight of the summit.

The company has been rolling out 5G infrastructure across major cities, promising ultra-fast internet speeds, low latency, and seamless connectivity for businesses and individuals.

The company showcased its 5G routers and broadband solutions at the summit, demonstrating how high-speed internet can unlock new opportunities for remote work, e-commerce, and digital content creation.

MTN’s efforts in bridging the financial inclusion gap through its digital financial services platform, MoMo PSB, were also highlighted.

The platform provides millions of unbanked and underbanked Africans access to financial services, from mobile payments to micro-loans and savings platforms.

Also, on display was MTN’s all-new Global Duka Gift Card Service. Delivered in partnership with Sochitel Group within the MoMo PSB Super App, this feature allows Nigerians to purchase and redeem gift cards for various digital services without the need for credit or debit cards, enhancing financial inclusion and facilitating cross-border digital transactions.

Through its investments in 5G, fintech, digital education, and startup ecosystems, MTN is not just connecting Africa but shaping its digital future.

He spoke at the Omniverse Summit, held at the Landmark Event Centre, Lagos.

Inuwa highlighted the necessity of shared goals, resources, and knowledge to make a lasting impact on Nigeria’s digital future.

“Our vision for Nigeria is to digitally empower the nation by thriving on innovation and fostering inclusive economic growth through technology,” Inuwa stated.

While discussing the pillars in the Strategic Road-map and Action Plan (2024-2027) SRAP 2.0, Inuwa stressed the importance of collaboration  among the stakeholders.

According to the NITDA Director-General, the road-map focuses on eight strategic pillars, targeted at accelerating digital transformation of all critical sectors of the economy as directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He maintained that all the pillars in the SRAP 2.0 resonate with the strategic pillars of  Ministry of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy blueprint tagged “Accelerating our Collective Prosperity through Technical Efficiency” which are Knowledge, Policy, Infrastructure, Innovation, entrepreneurship, and Capital, and Trade.

He revealed that the first pillar, fostering digital literacy and cultivating talent has an ambitious goal of achieving 70% digital literacy by 2027 through the implementation of National Digital Literacy Framework as well as developing technical talents which is being implemented through one of the Ministry’s initiatives “the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT)”, designed to address the impending global talent deficit and position Nigeria as a leader in technological expertise.

Inuwa noted that the second pillar is to build a robust technology research system, aimed at putting Nigeria’s at the 25 percentile in global ranking  in research in six key areas of AI, IoT, Robotics, Additive Manufacturing, blockchain and UAVs.

The third pillar emphasises the need to strengthen policy implementation and legal framework, with all ecosystem stakeholders contributing to achieving national goals.

He said,

“Promoting inclusive access to digital infrastructure and services forms the fourth pillar which aims at connecting the unconnected by investing in learning centers and innovation hubs across the country.”

“Strengthening Cybersecurity and enhancing digital trust is the fifth pillar. This addresses the importance of instilling confidence in digital platforms for its users,” he said.

He identified the sixth pillar as focusing on plans to nurture an innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystem, which will promote synergy in industry and an enabling platform for digital transformation.

“While the seventh pillar is to forge strategic partnerships, and collaborations with external stakeholders as evident with the active partnership NITDA is building with the Omniverse platform, the eight and last pillar of the SRAP is directed to cultivate a vibrant organizational culture and agile workforce within NITDA”. he added.

“We believe that by working together, we can transform Nigeria into a global digital powerhouse,” Inuwa declared.

He subsequently invited stakeholders to download the soft copy of the road-map, providing a QR code for easy access, and encouraged feedback to refine the document for collective success.

Inuwa assured the commitment of the government to create enabling policies for citizens to thrive.

According to him,

“The aim is to position Nigeria among the top 25 in artificial intelligence, IoT, UAV, robotics, Blockchain, and additive manufacturing, propelling the nation into a prominent role in the global digital economy.”

The Omniverse Summit is targeted at driving the digital economy on the continent. The summit explores the narratives about the Africa and Africans, with a focus on how to regain control of these narratives to re-frame the future of our economies, societies, and geopolitics.

Obi Asika, the convener of the Omniverse Summit along with his team members, Charles  Emembolu, Dr. Thwueba and Isioma  Udeozo stated passionately during a panel session tagged “Why Omniverse? Explained that the Omniverse is a collaborative platform, which is designed to bring people together. They mentioned that one of the core objectives of the program was to bring different segments of the ecosystem like the academia, tech, startups, gaming people, music industry, film industry, television industry, the arts and arts culture among others together.

In their submission, they noted that the move is towards creating a platform for anyone to have a clear understanding into what is happening in Nigeria, Africa, and the  world.

Mr. Will Stevens, the U.S Consul General, in his address affirmed that the dynamic digital innovation ecosystem in Nigeria has led to the creation of this crucial platform, emphasizing the nation’s role as Africa’s largest economy and democracy.

Mr. Williams stressed a paradigm shift in collaboration, moving from discussing what can be done for Africa to what can be achieved together. He added that the focus is to ensuring African nations have a significant voice in global policy discussions, particularly addressing shared challenges like climate change, food insecurity, and global pandemics.

He called for a permanent African representation in the UN Security Council underlines the need for African solutions to global problems, emphasizing collaboration on a worldwide scale.

He noted that Nigeria, as a key player in driving innovation, faces challenges such as safeguarding intellectual property and addressing exchange rate risks noting that, “the partnership between the U.S. and African tech startups is substantial, with around 60% of venture capital in Nigeria originating from the United States.”

“However, there is an expressed need to protect intellectual property locally and create laws to support startups, ensuring innovators can safeguard their creations within the country. The imperative is to foster collaboration that goes beyond geographical boundaries and promotes a collective effort to tackle shared global challenges,” he concluded.

Will Stevens, U.S. Consul General, highlighted this in his keynote address on Thursday, February 29, 2024 at the Omniverse Summit in Lagos.

In his keynote themed: ‘The Role of Technology in Fostering International Collaboration in an Interconnected World’, re-echoed President Biden’s message that the United States wants to be working together with the nations of the African continent in equal partnership, especially to combat the challenges that face the entire world as “…no nation can do it alone”.

“As Secretary Blinken said it so eloquently: Africa shaped our past, it’s shaping our present, and it will define our future.

“And, I might add, no nation is having a bigger impact on the evolving digital transformation than Nigeria.  As Africa’s largest economy, largest democracy and number one destination for venture capital – Nigeria is driving innovation and creative solutions to the challenges that vex Nigerians, Africans and people across the world.  These innovative creators are reinforcing my deeply held belief that African solutions and African voices are critical and central to resolving the problems of the 21st century and beyond.

“The world is changing at an unprecedented pace, fueled by the relentless innovation from an increasingly interconnected world. In the past decade, global internet traffic has grown by 700%, and mobile phone users have surpassed 6.6 billion.  This increased connectivity creates boundless potential for cross-border collaboration – creating a global village where ideas can spark across oceans, and innovations can blossom through collective efforts.

“Imagine a world where researchers from across continents collaborate on groundbreaking medical discoveries, where engineers work together to tackle climate change, and where entrepreneurs share ideas and resources to build a more sustainable future.

“This is a present that we are already beginning to experience and a future that I am certain will mean a better world for our children and our children’s children.  Together, we are using the latest technological innovations to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges in the areas of climate change, education, healthcare, agriculture, and other vital areas of development and economic growth.

“However, building these bridges requires more than just technological prowess. We must overcome challenges like cultural and linguistic barriers, unequal access to resources, and cybersecurity concerns. These challenges are not insurmountable.

“By embracing inclusivity, bringing capital to markets that need infrastructure investment, and developing robust cybersecurity measures, we can pave the way for fruitful international partnerships.

“Together, I see that some of these challenges are already being addressed.  U.S. venture capital firms have invested heavily in African tech startups with over 60 and 40 percent of venture capital funding in Nigeria and Africa respectively coming from the United States.  Up to 60 percent of African startups are incorporated in the United States – this figure is 80 percent when considering Nigeria alone.

Statistics show that, in 2021, African startups raised $4.8 billion, this translates to an average of over $1 million every 2 hours.

Despite the global downturn in VC funding, the United States still accounted for about 40 percent of the $3.4 billion raised by African startups last year.

Still on Stevens’ keynote at the Omniverse Summit, he said, “Four months ago, President Biden issued a landmark Executive Order on Safe, Secure and Trustworthy Development and Use of AI that emphasized collaboration with countries all over the world to develop and use artificial intelligence in a responsible manner.

“Before that, in 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration developed the Digital Transformation with Africa (DTA) initiative that aims to build partnerships with African countries to expand digital access, increase U.S.-Africa commercial relations, support increased digital literacy, and strengthen digital enabling environments across the continent. This initiative emphasizes “with” – Digital Transformation “with” Africa, not “for” Africa; as we believe that Africa on its own brings tremendous value to the global table.

He said that Nigeria remains Africa’s largest economy and is the United States’ second-largest trading partner in Africa with two-way trade exceeding $10.6 billion in 2022.

The United States is proud to be one of the largest foreign investors in Nigeria with FDI totaling $5.6 billion in 2022.

There are over 80 U.S. companies operating in Nigeria, in manufacturing, fast-moving consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, technology, etc.

These companies collectively pay billions of naira in taxes, create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, and directly support various socioeconomic programs that improve the lives of Nigerians.

Will Stevens congratulated Obi Asika, Olamiposi Ekuma and the entire Omniverse team for oranising the Omniverse Summit.

His insights, shared at the ongoing Omniverse Summit February 27 – March 1, 2024, at the Landmark Event Center, Lagos, advocate for a paradigm shift in how innovation is perceived and fostered within the public sector.

During a riveting panel discussion, CFA addressed the pervasive myth that civil servants are inherently non-innovative.

But speaking at the Omniverse Summit, CFA countered this narrative with compelling evidence, stating,

“The notion that civil servants lack innovation is a misconception we’re determined to overturn. Innovation flourishes when civil servants at all levels are engaged and empowered to collaborate, unlocking vast potential for societal advancement.”

CFA drew attention to the fintech sector’s explosive growth as a prime example of public sector innovation, crediting this success to the proactive and forward-thinking civil servants within regulatory bodies such as the CBN.

Their ability to anticipate and adapt to the industry’s needs has been pivotal.

Further highlighting Anambra State’s commitment to innovation, CFA spoke of the significant steps taken under Governor Soludo’s leadership, including eliminating right-of-way (RoW) charges.

“This policy not only incentivizes investment but also cultivates a fertile ground for technological and innovative endeavors”, Agbata added.

CFA’s message resonated with clarity and purpose: Anambra is leading the charge into a new dawn of public sector innovation, galvanized by the untapped potential of its civil servants.

This movement is more than a regional narrative; it’s a national call to action, inviting all stakeholders to contribute to a future where innovation is integral to public service.

“We stand at the threshold of a transformative era in public service, driven by innovation and collaborative spirit. Anambra’s journey under the visionary leadership of Governor Soludo is just the beginning. We invite you to be part of this transformative journey. Engage with us on our social media platforms @ANdotICTA, share your ideas and solutions for enhancing public service through technology and innovation.

“Together, let’s redefine the essence of public service through innovation.

“This is our collective mission to serve, innovate, and lead in an ever-evolving world”, he said at the Omniverse Summit.