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With only two weeks to the annual West African Convergence Conference (WACC 2019), organisers have announced a support league that includes regulatory authorities, entities from the public and private sectors as well as other industry stakeholders including professional associations.
The list includes Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Backbone Connectivity Network (BCN), NigComSat,Qitech Technologies Limited and SmartWeb, Jos.
Others are Galaxy Backbone Ltd., Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Medallion Limited, Rack Centre, BSSL Limited, PFS Limited, ICS Limited, Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Data Science Nigeria Limited, and Plateau State Information & Communication Technology Development Agency (PICTDA) among others.
The event is holding on Thursday, March 28th at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Ikeja, Lagos.
Organised by Knowhow Media and Market Intelligence International Limited (KMMIIL), WACC 2019 (www.thewacc.net) will be looking at “how convergence across technologies and industries is impacting on governments and people across sectors; most importantly, how disruptors are reworking market entry and go-to market solutions are changing approaches of doing business,: said Co-Chairman, WACC 2019 Planning Committee, Dr Sola Afolabi.
“We have an array of speakers and panelists from the industry and academic community to provide insights on where the industry is headed and how players must respond to the inherent dynamics of an industry in permanent transition,” said CEO of KMMIIL Olusegun Oruame who is also editor at IT Edge News, published by KMMIIL.
WACC 2019 has already recorded heavy subscriptions across sectors with a huge number of subscribers from the startup ecosystem.
“The event will draw attention on providers, whether in the connectivity or software space, as well as across a broad spectrum of other sectors, able to reflect market dynamics, technology disruption to unbundle new services and diverse opportunities in this era of technology and regulatory convergence.
“The gathering will further provide insights on how regulators are able to leverage industry dynamics to provide proactive regulations across sectors, particularly as technology and industries converge creating once untapped opportunities with new industry leaders re-writing the market rules, and setting new agenda” added Afolabi.
WACC 2019 is the 10th edition of the West Africa’s only forum on technology convergence and the impact on industries, people and environment. WACC since inception has enjoyed a very rich participation from industry stakeholders and policy makers. This year’s edition will be drawing participation from thought leaders and decision makers across industry verticals to underscore the convergence of industries within the broad spectrum of technology and its application across sectors.
The 2019 themes centre on: Regulations + Disruptions; Employability + Entrepreneurships + Connectivity in the era of Convergence. Sessions include: InventSpace; Employability & Entrepreneurships; Tech Frontiers; Regulation, Connectivity, Broadband, BroadPLANS and Convergence,
GITEX Stakeholders Forum (Lagos) at WACC 2019
This year, WACC will also be hosting the GITEX Stakeholders Forum (Lagos) where officials of the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), organisers of GITEX Technology Week, world’s 3rd largest ICT event, will be interacting with existing and prospective GITEX trade visitors. Since 2013, Nigeria has been participating in GITEX led by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
A GITEX Stakeholders Forum (Abuja) will hold March 27th at the Treasure Suites, Abuja a day before the Lagos GITEX Forum holds inside WACC 2019. The Abuja meet is intended to allow DWTC officials interact with the tech ecosystem and policy drivers in the north of the country. The Lagos meet is for the south.
NITDA uses the GITEX platform to expose Nigeria’s startup ecosystem to global interests. Through partnering with the DWTC, NITDA’s participation has been hinged on helping the country’s private sector to explore global opportunities and to help public sector entities engage the global tech leaders so as to thicken the value proposition of ICT in Nigeria’s public sector.
NextTech + Convergence Award Ceremony
The 2019 WACC will also feature the NextTech + Convergence Award Ceremony. The NextTech + Convergence Award is an offshoot of the Top 50 Award first initiated in 2006 as part of the indices to measure the: Industry’s most profound influencers; Most Impactful tech solution providers/organisations; and Best dynamic survivors in Nigeria’s highly tempestuous market. WACC starts at 8AM Nigerian time. To register: www.thewacc.net.
