Nigeria gets LOC on GiTEX Technology Show, Dubai

ITRealms:

In order to fully take advantage offered by the annual GiTEX Technology Show which holds in Dubai in October, Nigeria has set up the GiTEX Local Organising Committee (LOC) as the official country partner, reports ITRealms.

GiTEX Technology, ITRealms pride itself as the premier technology event in the Middle East Africa and South Asia (MEASA).

The technology trade show occupies over 78,000 sqm of space, and records over 145,530 trade visitors from 144 countries in 2013. Also, more than 35,000 visitors came from Africa in the 2013 edition of GITEX where Nigeria premiered its presence by setting up the Nigerian Pavilion which was promoted by the Nigerian Government through the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

This year, ITRealms equally gathered that Nigeria is renew its 2013 presence as Official Country Partner to become the centre of thematic activities for the five day technology expo and conference in Dubai.

The LOC is tasked with ensuring Nigeria’s successful participation through pre-show work-plans. While inaugurating the LOC in Abuja last week, the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Peter Jack, said NITDA has a new vision and the agency would genuinely pursue IT development aggressively to position Nigeria in the global society.

He said Nigeria’s presence at Gitex would offer the opportunity to explore international opportunities for collaborations and investments that would further advance Nigeria’s burgeoning IT sector.

“NITDA is determined to position Nigeria in that light, and would work through multilateral stakeholders approach to get everyone involved and achieve our core goals at NITDA,” he said, imploring the committee to do all they could to make Nigeria’s presence at GiTEX 2014 a success and assured of government’s support for IT development at all levels, while stressing the need for inter-agencies collaboration and synergy.

“It is in the spirit of partnership that NITDA has invited other agencies to be part of this preparation and we believe that this is imperative to achieve best results,” said Jack to the committee members.

According to ITRealms, the LOC members were drawn from different private and public sectors organizations including Nigeria Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Computer Professional Registration Council (CPN), Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), National Association of Computer Science Students (NACOSS), Nigeria Satellite Communications Limited (NigComSat), and Information Technology Industries Association of Nigeria (ITAN).

Others are Pinnacle Consult LLC and Knowhow Media International – both marketing and media consultants on Nigeria’s participation at Gitex 2014.

Members at the inauguration meeting of the LOC include Chairman of the LOC, Dr. Olatunji Vincent, NITDA; Mr. Yele Okeremi, ISPON; Mr. Mohammed Audu, NIPC; Segun Oruame, Knowhow Media, Mrs. Mary Uduma, NIRA; Tunde Bello, Federal Ministry of Agriculture; Mr. Yelwa Idris, NITDA; Mr. Mohammed Agbali, NITDA; Mrs. Hadiza Umar, NITDA; Mr. Abass Fufore, CPN; Mr. Jide Awe, NCS; Ms. Nwigbo Happiness, CPN; Mr.Abu Agbo Andrew NACOSS; Okafor Chukwuemeka, NACOSS; Olorogun James, ISPON; and Amalu Ikechukwu, NigComSat. 

Chairman of the LOC, Dr. Olatunji said it was important for all stakeholders to come together to drive Nigeria’s participation as the official country partner for Gitex 2014. He said there was a need for all stakeholders to strongly get everybody who has something innovating to showcase at Gitex to use it as a global platform to show the world what Nigerians are doing. 

For Mr. Oruame who later coordinated the meeting said preparations had begun already since Nigeria officially enlisted to be partner for Gitex 2014 and said there was need for the committee to expedite actions to meet up with the demands of the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), organisers of Gitex to ensure that deadlines for all preparatory items are met. 

The LOC stressed the importance of early marketing and publicity activities as the committee works on actualizing the necessary roadshows to engage local stakeholders in Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Enugu where the NCS conference will be holding in July this year.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D Short URLs: goo.gl, mcaf.ee, cli.gs