The Digital Nigeria International Conference is a flagship awareness and annual programme in the Digital Economy sector. Further re-branded as Digital Nigeria to expand the scope in line with the core objectives of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS). The aim is to brainstorm on contemporary issues of relevance across the globe to address Nigerian challenges for sustainable socio-economic development. It is a veritable platform for the creation of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) awareness, the development of the appropriate framework, and the setting of goals for best practices.
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) under the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy in partnership with Domineum Blockchain Solutions a leading Distributed Ledger Technology Company in Africa hosted a one-day National digital economy awareness event tagged: “BLOCKCHAIN DAY” which happened on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, during the Annual Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition from the 25th to the 27th of October 2022 with the target audience of over 2000 Blockchain enthusiast in Abuja.
The Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition took place at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, Nigeria. The theme for this year’s conference was Digital Transformation: A Path to Sustainable Digital Economy and it was chosen to stimulate discussion on how the economy could take advantage of digital technologies to create value with the objectives to promote Digital transformation, Digital inclusion, Emerging technologies, Data protection, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship in Nigeria.
The Blockchain Day aimed to converge and assemble Blockchain Experts, Blockchain Protocols, Blockchain Founders, startups, Academia, and Developers in the Blockchain Ecosystem – to showcase and share insights about the different platforms and solutions built on blockchain technology, as well as future emerging solutions.
Over the past years, it has become obvious that emerging economies have come to the forefront of blockchain adoption, with Nigeria being one of the frontrunners.
The “Giant of Africa,” as proudly called, is making great strides in the adoption of blockchain technological innovation. According to a survey conducted by Statista in 2020, 32% of Nigerians have admitted to using or owning cryptocurrencies. These sheer numbers are perfect considerations when exploring Nigeria’s affinity for embracing blockchain technology.
Hosted by the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA Nigeria).
We had the Pacer Labs Executive team; Ray Sharma, General Partner, Pacer Ventures, the “Blockchain Day” keynote speaker, who spoke on blockchain as an emerging technology and practical application in the tech ecosystem today.
“Blockchain and Metaverse will radically transform our lives”
-Ray Sharma
Gbemi Akande, Co-founder & Managing Partner, Pacer Ventures who spoke on the startup and innovation ecosystem day sharing on how to explore funding opportunities for Nigerian startups.
And Hadiza Saidu, General Manager, Pacer Labs who spoke on the approach to addressing the talent gap issues in the ecosystem today.
The executive team also had a Q n A session with startup founders, and entrepreneurs, sharing their wealth of knowledge and expertise on pathways to setting the pace in the ecosystem of today, raising funds as a startup.
The conference provided a platform for networking opportunities, co-creation and collaboration, sharing experiences, mentorship and knowledge circulation, stimulating conversation on emerging technology and incentives, and export for tech startups.
Mr. Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General of NITDA, said “There are a lot of opportunities in Blockchain and it is critical in every business. Talent is the human component of technology and innovations with Blockchain and emerging technologies are about the new solutions one is bringing on board. So, you need to task yourself to know which solutions or offerings the industry requires.”
Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim Jega, co-founder Domineum said, “Blockchain is a technology that houses Cryptocurrency and many various ideas. It is essential to demystify it, enable young people to take a proper grasp and expose themselves to this game-changing technology and take advantage of the numerous opportunities it presents.”
A power-packed avenue for activities such as Keynote Speaking, Panel discussions, Fireside Chat, Training Sessions, Guest Speaking, Presentations, Pitch sessions, Questions, and Answer Sessions, Exhibition and Networking, and One-on-one interactive workshops with attendees from global industry leaders.
Other Top speakers at the conference were:
- Prof. Isa Pantami The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Nigeria
- Inuwa Kashifu Abdullahi (DG, NITDA)
- Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim Jega – Co-Founder, Domineum.
- Ahmed Yousif – Lead of BSV Blockchain
- Ray Youssef – Founder and CEO Paxful
- Lorien Gamaroff – CEO, Centbee,
- James L. Sisneros – Founder & CEO, The Possibility Company
- Dr. Usman Gambo Abdullahi – Director, IT Infrastructure Solutions, NITDA
- Dr. Rislan A Kanya – DVC IT Research & Innovation, Baze University,
- Jimmy Nguyen- CEO, Blockchain for all
- Salisu Uba- Founder/Managing Partner, NatQuest Limited
- Salisu Saminu- Founder and CTO, Bilic.io
- Satesh Elwani– Managing Director, Melsons Group.
As a Global organization, we stand to encourage young people in Africa and around the world to sharpen their talents for the best experience ever and set the pace for global recognition. Pacer Labs’ partnership with the Nigerian digital economy sector, will deliver a transformative-sustainable solution (with emerging technologies such as blockchain) to assist enterprises to shape their path to digitally enabled success.
