Gideon Arinze, Enugu
The Enugu State Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Prince Lawrence Ezeh, says the state is positioning itself to become a leading voice in Africa’s technology ecosystem.
Ezeh spoke yesterday, while reacting to the success of the four-day Enugu Tech Festival, which drew over 58,000 innovators to deliberate on the future of digital innovation.
He said that the turnout reflects Nigeria’s growing ambition to emerge as a continental tech leader and highlights the role of subnational governments as active ecosystem builders.
The commissioner described the festival as a resounding validation of Enugu’s vision to become a technology trailblazer in Africa.”
“The narrative around African tech is shifting beyond perception to meaningful participation, impact and even human relationships,” he said.
According to him, “here in Enugu, we have made a deliberate decision: we will not be spectators in this revolution. We will be participants. We will be producers.”
He explained that the festival featured discussions on artificial intelligence, blockchain, Web3 technologies, investment and entrepreneurship, alongside technical masterclasses on scaling, product-market fit and cross-border expansion.
Highlights of the event included the distribution of laptops and tablets to outstanding hackathon performers and student innovators, as well as N10 million grants awarded to selected startup founders and innovation teams to accelerate product development and market entry.
