BY Uche Ogbonnaya
RIDING on President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR)’s assertion, that ‘Great Nations are built by Enterprising People who turn their Hands to anything that circumstances dictate’, the 5th edition of Trek Africa Entrepreneurship Conference 2021 is set to hold on Tuesday 25th May, 2021.
The annual TAEC is a gathering of aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs, high profile businessmen, policy makers, youths leaders, innovative thinkers, government agencies, and captains of industries from diverse sectors of the National economy, with the aim of creating a better life for the teeming youths of Nigeria, who are either seeking employment or aiming to start or upscale their business enterprises.
This year, the Chairman/CEO Silicon Valley Nigerian Economic Development (SV-NED) Inc., HRH Queen Mother Amina Temitope Ajayi F.I.I.M (a.k.a. Mama Diaspora); Vice Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Lagos State Chapter, Alh. Tokunbo Korodo; Chairman/CEO, Eagle Paints Nig Ltd, Chief Taofik Akinola Disu; and Chairman House Committee on Job Creation and Employment, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Jude Emeka Idimogu will be leading an array of esteemed speakers at the entrepreneurship conference.
Also expected to speak at the conference include Chairman House Committee on Women Affairs, Poverty Alleviation and Job Creation, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mojisola Kehinde Ali-Macaulay. Others are Hon. Mojisola Lasbat Meranda; Mrs. Doris Alex, General Manager, Accretive Technology; Hajia Juwarat Abdulsalam, Founder and President of JEAF Foundation; Comrade Ojikutu Adeniyi Ahmed (President, CAPDAN); Hon. Oluseye Olofin; and Mrs. Bridget Okonofua.
Speaking with Newsmen on Tuesday, the Project Coordinator for TAEC 2021, Mr. Oki Samson stated that ‘A Brand New World, A Digital World’ is the theme of this year’s conference. The topic was chosen to spotlight the importance of digital technology in today’s world, ‘If anyone ever thought that the 21st century world is only moving on the periphery of digital technology, the game-changer called coronavirus pandemic which occurred late 2019 into 2020 – only 20 years into the new century – should finally convince such a person that the world is now fully plunged into the era of digital technology. The pandemic is far from being over but humanity is forging on still’, Oki Samson noted.
The conference thought how 7.9 billion people, according to United Nations estimates of April 2021, of the world survive 2020? How was this critical mass able to transact business, attend school, and receive government protocol among other human activities if not without digital technology?
‘Digital technology played a momentous role. Not that the physical mode of operation have ceased or will cease but the digital mode of operations has launched humanity into a brand new world. This offers wider access, relative ease, greater comfort, and superior flexibility.’
Looking at 2021 and beyond, how is the world of digital technology projected to influence various sectors of Nigeria’s economy including the SMEs, education, agriculture value chain, banking, industry and economy, domestic and border security among others? These and many more will be broached in this year’s edition of the Trek Africa Entrepreneurship Conference (TAEC) 2021.
The Project Coordinator, Mr. Oki calls on entrepreneurs, innovators, producers, and corporate organizations to take advantage of this 1-day entrepreneurship event to showcase their products and services to the audience. The location is NERDC Conference Center, NERDC Rd., (adjacent Fela Shrine), Agidingbi, Alausa-Secretariat, Ikeja, Lagos. All COVID-19 protocols will be strictly observed with the use of noise mask, thus, the organizers encourage all and sundry to visit the official website; www.trekafrica.net for the event to register their intention to attend the conference.
