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Investment in innovation and entrepreneurship can alleviate poverty in Africa- Chinwe Okoli
The Manager of Roar Nigeria, Chinwe Okoli has made a clarion call that investment in innovation and entrepreneurship would salvage the scourge of poverty in Africa.
Ms Okoli, speaking on Friday at the 36th IASP World Conference on Science Parks and Areas of Innovation held in Nantes, France made a call to the world to see Nigeria’s current developmental challenges as investment opportunities.
Ms Okoli spoke on the topic: Opportunities, challenges and lessons learned from setting up and running the first university embedded incubator and science park in the West African Sub region.
She shared the unique experiences and the journey of Roar Nigeria Hub and Lion Science Park with particular attention to the challenges of development in Africa especially the impact on 4th Industrial Revolution. These challenges includes access to finance;basic infrastructure such as rail, roads, power and internet facility; digital skills; undeveloped network of Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors, among others.
Ms Okoli noted that inspite of all these challenges, young people in Nigeria tend to achieve so much when given little opportunity. “Nigerian youth are so smart and intelligent, eager and ready to do extraordinary things and investing on them will mostly yield a very high return on investment” On this note, she emphasized that infrastructural challenges in Nigeria are investment opportunities.
Speaking on the investment opportunities in Africa, she highlighted the young population of Africa, curently 19.7yrs against the world median age of above 30yrs, the growth rate of Africa at 2.52%, the highest in the world which will see Africa’s population double by 2059 according to the United Nations.
She also informed that since Nigeria has a population of over 200 million with over 90 million people below the age of 18, it simply means that the future of the 4th industrial Revolution is in Nigeria and Africa by extension. The future workforce and digital experts will mostly come from Africa.
She made a global call for investment on capacity building on the Youth of Africa. ” This will be a wise investment” she said.
Speaking on observations from running the innovation centers, she said ” innovation can alleviate poverty and generate employment. And because Nigeria is a developing nation, every investor will find ideas in their sector of interest to invest in”
Ms Okoli finally noted that running a successful innovation hub or science park requires setting a vision, making consistent effort towards driving the vision, mapping out a budget and training a workforce to drive the vision.
The 4th Industrial Revolution affects our modern societies in myriads of ways, as new economic, social, political, and environmental challenges emerge through new means of production. Its impact is felt across all sectors and communities, but areas of innovation and science parks are uniquely placed to ensure that its impact is sustainable for the economy and society as a whole.
The IASP World Conference brought together a powerful international network to shine a spotlight on all the ways in which innovation ecosystems can support their communities and regions as they move into the industry of the future.
IA global gathering of hundreds of delegates and speakers, leading government, business, academic and innovation figures from 54 countries, the last few days in Nantes have shown what can be achieved when innovators and innovation managers from across the world collaborate.
Hosted and organised by Atlanpole (Nantes, France) from September 24th – 27th September 2019 under the theme “The 4th Industrial Revolution: areas of innovation and science parks as key boosters for a successful transition”, the event offered new insights into how science parks and other areas of innovation can continue to lead their innovation communities (businesses, entrepreneurs, researchers and technicians) as well as their cities and regions into a digital future.
Held at the La Cité Conference Centre, the event showcased the flourishing innovation community in Nantes and across France, connecting the region’s historic maritime heritage with the 4th Industrial Revolution and the technologies of the future.
The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.
Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
The Guild of Private Broadcast Managers has extended its heartfelt congratulations to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary.
In a congratulatory message signed by the Guild’s National President, Ambassador Patrick Uzoyi-Peters, JP MNGRM, the guild described the milestone as a testament to the NUJ’s unwavering commitment to upholding press freedom, journalistic integrity, and the advancement of democracy in Nigeria.
“For seven decades, the NUJ has played a pivotal role in shaping the media landscape, advocating for the rights and welfare of journalists, and ensuring that the voice of the people remains strong and unyielding. Your resilience, professionalism, and dedication to ethical journalism have been instrumental in fostering transparency, accountability, and national development”.
Celebrating this historic achievement, the Guild’s President, Uzoyi-Peters recognized the sacrifices and contributions of journalists across the nation who work tirelessly to inform, educate, and empower society.
The Guild reiterated it commitment towards collaborating with the NUJ in promoting responsible journalism and strengthening the media industry for the greater good.
While wishing the NUJ continued success, growth, and greater impact in the years ahead, President Uzoyi-Peters prayed that the anniversary serve as a renewed call to uphold the principles of truth, fairness, and press freedom in our collective pursuit of a more informed and just society.
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