By 
Nine Nigerian technology innovators and startups have become semifinalists in the Supernova Challenge Pitch Competition organised by North Star Dubai at the 42nd GITEX GLOBAL taking place in United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Supernova Challenge is the biggest pitch competition in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, where Startups have opportunity to become the next unicorn. About $200,000 in cash prizes are up for grabs.
RELATED: NITDA powers Nigeria Pavilions at GITEX GLOBAL 2022 with nearly 30 exhibitors including Lagos
According to North Star Dubai on their website, the startups are Identity Pass, 9JaCodeKids Academy, Floews, MedTech, Paddycover, Pricepally, LiveBic, Technyon Technologies, and Wellness Health Technologies.
Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, while inaugurating the Nigeria Country Pavilion, commended the startups that have scaled the competition’s preliminary stages even as he expressed confidence in the ability of the team to progress to the finals and hopefully clinch the ultimate prize.
In 2019, Nigerian tech startup, Chiniki Guard, emerged winner of the USD 10,000 best prize in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) category at the Global Future Stars (GFS) Supernova competition now renamed North Star.
“Each and every year, Nigeria has been attending the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition GITEX because of its enormous benefits; these benefits are many, critical among them is attracting foreign direct investment,” said Pantami who is leading an official Nigerian delegation that include Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Executive Vice-chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, Director General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Aliyu Aziz and the Managing Director/CEO of Galaxy Backbone, Prof. Muhammed Bello Abubakar as well as some Nigerian private ICT entrepreneurs.
According to the minister, Nigeria’s strong commitment to its startup ecosystem is underscored by the fact that it was promoting the highest number of startups at the 2022 GITEX since it first made a country appearance in 2013.
“We have recorded significant milestones and great accomplishments in our bid to drive Nigeria’s economy digitally and our modest successes are verifiable”.
According to Professor Pantami, the federal government, in the last three years launched several programmes, policies and initiatives that are entrenching the trust between the tech ecosystem and the government towards strengthening the Nigerian digital economy sector,” said Pantami.
The Director General of NITDA, Abdullahi also shared same optimism with the minister as he noted that the Nigerian team will do well in the competition and once again, place the country on the global map.
Abdullahi urged the tech innovators to ensure they “also learn, unlearn and relearn by participating in other sideline events and conferences in order to build the necessary networks to add value to their craft.”
GITEX GLOBAL now the world’s largest tech and startup show is 33 football fields, 26 halls and 2 million sq. ft to give enough space to the incredible more than 5,000 companies and more than 200, 000 attendees from 170 countries.
