By Chikaodi Chukwuleta
Plans are underway for Anambra State Government, through the Solution Innovation District (SID) to host a maiden digital event, tagged, ‘Anambra Innovation Week 2024,’ between November 25 to 29, 2024, with a view to becoming Nigeria’s digital and creative capital and Silicon Valley of Africa.
Disclosing this at a press conference, held on Tuesday, October 29, the Special Adviser to Anambra State Governor on Innovation and Business Incubation, Chinwe Okoli, said the event was an initiative by the Soludo-led government dedicated to developing a thriving ecosystem for digital talents and startups.
According to her, the weeklong event, with theme, ‘Creating the Future of Africa Now’, is aimed at supporting the startup ecosystem, incubating promising ventures, fostering research commercialisation and helping businesses leverage technology to scale.
“Welcome to the Solution Innovation District, ‘Anambra Innovation Week 2024’, an initiative by the Anambra State Government. In line with the agenda of the state governor, it is to make Anambra, Nigeria’s digital and creative capital. It is dedicated to developing a thriving ecosystem for digital talent, startups and innovative businesses across the state.
“Our mandate encompasses nurturing the ‘Anambra Digital Tribe,’ supporting the startup ecosystem, incubating promising ventures, fostering research commercialisation, and helping businesses leverage technology to scale.
“Through programmes like LevelUp Anambra and Code Anambra, we have trained over 25,000 youths on various deep technology skills preparing them for jobs in the global market and many of them secure such jobs daily, while our SID Teen Digital Bootcamp cultivates a new generation of talented teens poised for future global impact.
“Additionally, the Anambra State Startup Law, a domestication of the Nigerian Startup Act, is underway to boost an environment that nurtures creativity, entrepreneurship, and sustainable economic growth,” she said.
Okoli further disclosed that the state governor, in support of the commitment, has prioritised infrastructure with over 2,000 km of fiber duct being laid across the state for last-mile internet connectivity, and that 13.7-hectare plot of land, currently home to the Government House, has been designated as the permanent site for the exercise.
“On behalf of Mr Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, I am very delighted to announce the Anambra Innovation Week 2024. It is set to become an annual event and a leading platform for showcasing Nigeria and Africa’s fast-growing and vibrant technology and innovation ecosystem, while underscoring our vision to make Anambra the ‘Silicon Valley of Africa’.
“Over the five-day event, slated for November 25 to 29, 2024 in Awka, we will bring together innovators, policymakers, top tech CEOs, industry, entrepreneurs, investors, digital experts, and academics from Africa and beyond. Anambra Innovation Week prioritises growth through bold ideas, talent, technology and invention highlighted by our flagship competition called Battle4Solutions.
“An innovation competition with a prize pool of over N100 million cash prizes. This competition invites Nigeria’s brightest startups to pitch solutions addressing critical societal challenges in various sectors such as digital health, renewable energy, e-commerce, agritech, fintech, environment, education etc,” Okoli said.
