By Pascal Oparada
Participants had mixed feelings at the opening of TechFest 2018. The event, which is ongoing, attracted a massive crowd but did not live up to the hype on the first day because of the few techpreneurs on display.
According to some participants who spoke with TheNiche, the organizers should have brought in more techpreneurs to match the buzz that the event generated.
“I know we have a lot more tech hubs in Nigeria than what is here presently. It didn’t live up to the hype. They should have brought more tech participants on board. Nigeria has the highest tech startups and hubs in Africa. We expected to see more participation and a lot more coordination, but that is missing,” said Chuka Ekweme, a participant.
The maiden tech exhibition featured Q & A session in which prospective investors and partners were grilled by techpreneurs, journalists and participants on the future of technology in Nigeria.
“I don’t think they (the organizers) asked the necessary questions and hit the nail on the head,” said Ekweme. “I would have loved that the answers were more specific and more straightforward.”
But for Yannick, it is a very good start, considering it is the first time. He praised the organizers for providing the opportunity for investors and entrepreneurs to network.
“I think that the turnout is very good. I can see a lot of employers, a lot of talent incubators and a lot of opportunities for techpreneurs with ideas. There is also coaching,” he said.
According to him, the hubs at the event is enough to drive investment and funding.
“I would not say there are not enough tech hubs to live up to the hype, but personally, I think it is a very good outing.
“One thing good about this event is that it will make people understand where the market is. You have NYSC members here and there are secondary school pupils here also. They can understand and decide their career part. They can say how can my idea work on this infrastructure?
“It would create change in the mindset of people and understanding generally,” he said.
Another participant who simply gave his name as Ese is not so impressed with the event. According to him, the atmosphere is rowdy and there should have been a lot more coordination.
“What they are doing or trying to achieve is good. But having the masterclasses and the networking crowd within the same space is providing a challenge in terms of attention.
“I was looking forward to listening to the panelists but in this environment… that is a big problem.
“They should have created more room for more tech hubs, even if they cannot afford to build fancy hubs like others, there should be enough space for more hubs. I can work up to people and say, ‘what are you doing?” Ese said.
For Amina, the event has provided the platform for tech startups to leverage on. She said the event has been educative since it is aimed at providing investment support for budding techpreneurs.
“It is educative and they are trying to get investment support to up and coming tech entrepreneurs. It is an eye-opener to ideas. We need more of this kind of events. I am sure next time more tech hubs would come,” Amina said.
TechFest 2018 is termed the biggest tech event in Nigeria and it is expected to attract technology startups in Nigeria.
Supported by Diamond Bank, the telecommunications giant, MTN and Microsoft, the event would end Wednesday, May 16, 2018.
