NGBA, AHK Nigeria Meet SmartCity Innovation Hub Promoters

IN alignment with its core objective of strengthening business relationship between Nigeria and Germany, a delegation from the Nigerian-German Business Association (NGBA) and German Delegation of Industry and Commerce (AHK Nigeria) recently met with the project managers of SmartCity Innovation Hub in Lagos to explore areas of collaboration.

The delegation comprised of Mrs. Jennifer Anoyika, Chief Operating Officer, NGBA and Mr Andre Roenne, Delegate, AHK Nigeria.
The SmartCity Innovation Hub is an A-grade technology development infrastructure promoted by the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the Federal Ministry of Communications Technology.

The project is a bold move to bring together technology, government and society in ways that promote the culture of innovation and the competitiveness between allied businesses and knowledge-based institutions.

Receiving the team, Sir Demola Aladekomo, chairman, SmartCity Resorts Plc, the holding company for SmartCity Innovation Hub said “We are delighted to meet with the Nigerian-German Business Association and the German Delegation of Industry and Commerce to discuss possible areas of collaboration and market linkages with their global network of partners.”

Mrs. Jennifer Anoyika, chief operating officer, NGBA, commended the SmartCity Innovation Hub project and spoke on NGBA and AHK Nigeria’s readiness to lend support to it within the ambit of its power.

Anoyika said “Through our strong network of members and partners, comprising of German, Nigerian and Nigerian-German owned enterprises in Nigeria, as well as German companies interested in the Nigerian market, NGBA is willing to lend support to the SmartCity Innovation Hub project because of its potential to transform Nigeria into a prosperous, productive and innovative nation.”

The SmartCity Innovation Hub is located on 48 hectares on the Lekki-Epe corridor within same locality as the Pan Atlantic University (PAU) and proposed developments such as Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lekki International Airport, Deep Seaport Project, and Dangote Petrochemical Project.

Upon completion, it will be the Nigerian equivalent of the Silicon Valley in the United States of America, which is home to many of the world’s largest technology corporations and thousands of tech start-up companies.

Already, leading technology corporations that include Microsoft Corporation, Zinox Technologies Limited, MainOne Cable Company Limited, Interswitch Nigeria, Globacom Nigeria Limited, Visafone Communications Limited, Chams Plc, Data Sciences Nigeria Limited, Systemspecs, and VDT Communications Limited are among the current subscribers taking up space at the green 48 hectare SmartCity Innovation Hub.

Equally, public sector institutions with regulatory oversights such as the Korean Public Joint Venture, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Galaxy Backbone Limited, Federal Ministry of Communications Technology, and the Lagos State Ministry of Science and Technology have also taken up space at the hub. Other subscribers include Medplus, First Bank of Nigeria Plc, and the International Finance Infrastructure.