In line with its vision which is “to fulfill the promise of the digital age for everyone in Africa”, Africa ICT Alliance - AfICTA Nigeria under the leadership of Mr. Inye Kemabonta alongside board members and other stakeholders within Abuja had a strategic session on Thursday, 14th December 2023. The session was aimed at formulating an action plan for AfICTA Nigeria in the year 2024 and was held physically in Abuja. The focus was to discuss the strategy that AfICTA Nigeria would explore in terms of policy development, programs, initiatives, and potential collaborations with relevant stakeholders in the year ahead.

During the session, stakeholders in attendance identified and aligned with four (4) key terms that form AfICTA’s vision which include 1. fulfill (to achieve, realize, or deliver on a promise made) 2. The promise (potential, commitment, and assurance), 3. Digital Age (the era whereby technology is deployed to provide solutions and resolve issues) and 4. Everyone: (leaving no one in Africa behind). These terms formed the guiding principles toward which all discussions were channeled.

Furthermore, the session was made interactive as ideas were welcomed from the stakeholders on the approach to take in achieving the identified strategies. Below are a few points raised by the attendees and adopted after a critical review by all members in attendance:

Points Raised:
1. The importance of using digital tools to empower the market, create opportunities, and generate wealth that benefits both the organization and the wider society, thereby contributing to employment, economic growth, and social development; 2. The necessity of collaboration rather than acting independently. They emphasized the importance of engaging with sovereign entities to achieve goals collectively; 3. AfICTA focuses on stimulating businesses by partnering government in its role to foster an environment that encourages entrepreneurship. They agreed that the key to addressing the low employment rate is by creating more employers. 4. AfICTA could attract more business leaders by promoting knowledge sharing and advocating for a global mindset among the youth, noting the importance of creating companies not just for Nigeria but also for the broader world.

In attendance were:

L-R: Mr. Timilehin Ambali, COO of Dot-Engee; Mr. Opeyemi Onifade, CEO of Afenoid Enterprise; Dr. Jimson Olufuye, Principal Consultant at Kontemporary Konsulting Ltd and Chair of AfICTA's Advisory Council; Mr. Inye Kemabonta, CEO Tech Law Services & AfICTA Nigeria National Coordinator; Mr. Olusegun Olugbile, CEO of Araba Technologies;  and Mr. Ayodeji Rex, CEO of Management Edge Ltd along with AfICTA Secretariat.

Dr. Mactar Seck, Chief of Section, UNECA, Mr. Kashifu Abdulahi Inuwa, Director General NITDA, and Mr. Inye Kemabonta, CEO of Tech Law Development Service and AfICTA National Coordinator emerge as 2023 Africa ICT Champions. 

This announcement took place during the Award Announcement session, organized by the Nominating Committee of the Alliance. The session marked the conclusion of the 11th Summit held from November 14th to 16th, 2023.

AfICTA extends its gratitude to outstanding individuals in the ICT sector, acknowledging their exceptional achievements across various categories in the AfICTA Awards Ceremony..

Further recognitions include the 2023 Africa ICT Personality Award presented to Dr. Krishnan Ranganath, Director at Africa Data Centres, and Dr. Mohamed Hamed, Chief Technology Officer at Ceramica Platinum Egypt, who emerged as the 2023 Africa CIO Award winner. The 2023 Innovation Award was bestowed upon Mr. Joshua Obed, Managing Director of Gugu Robotics in Nigeria. Additionally, the 2023 Africa Community Development Award was granted to Dr. Robinson Tombari Sibe, CEO of Digital Footprints in Nigeria, and Advocate Nandipha Ntsaluba from the Department of Veterans in South Africa. Notably, Mr. Inye Kemabonta, CEO of Tech Law Development Service and AfICTA National Coordinator, was honored with the Africa ICT Champion Award for his exceptional leadership within the Alliance.

These esteemed individuals have exhibited exceptional prowess and leadership within their respective spheres, contributing significantly to the advancement and development of the ICT landscape across Africa.

The theme of the AfICTA 11th Summit was “Transforming Africa's Economy Through Digitalization for Sustainable Development". The summit witnessed several sessions geared towards fostering the digital agenda and the realization of the promise of the digital age for everyone in Africa.

Africa Information & Communication Technologies Alliance (AfICTA) is a concerned private sector led alliance of ICT Associations, multi-national corporations, companies, organizations and individuals in the ICT sector in Africa. Its vision is to fulfil the promise of the digital age for everyone in Africa while its mission is to encourage multi-stakeholder dialogue fostering accelerated and ICT enabled development in Africa and the use of cutting-edge innovative technologies including mobile, computing and satellite technologies to achieve an Information society in Africa.

The 11th edition of the Africa ICT Alliance Summit was held virtually between 14 - 16 November 2023 which vividly examined the theme "Transforming Africa's Economy through Digitalization for Sustainable Development" and was graced by esteemed speakers, ICT industry players, experts, and dignitaries within and beyond Africa. There were 6 (six) Panel Sessions during the summit each of which sparked up insightful discussion towards the exploration of pathways to digitally empowered Africa.

The event was widely attended by participants from over 26 African nations with more than 200 participants. We would like to appreciate all our esteemed event sponsors; ICANN Africa, BC-ICANN, Afenoid, CleanDNS, and Kontemporary Konsulting for their sponsorship support and also appreciate all our good-standing members for their frequent support to AfICTA. We will keep you informed of our future events.

For a quick recap of the event highlights, please visit our YouTube page for event recordings. Further information about the summit will be shared in due time.

AfICTA Secretariat.

Ms. Ulandi Exner takes over as Chair of AfICTA Making her the First Female Chairperson