by Oge Okonkwo

Ndani TV and Y!/YNaija.com hosted 100 of the most innovative people in the Nigerian Tech space – #YTech100 – at Social Media Week Lagos 2014. The invitation-only event held on Friday, 21 February 2014 at Four Points by Sheraton, Lekki, Lagos.

“With start up businesses in mobile and online payments, e-Commerce as well as online content distribution, the Tech industry has received over $100mil in investment from local and foreign investors and is shaping up to be a key contributor to Nigeria’s economic growth over the next 10years. Consequently, Ndani TV and Y!/YNaija.com agreed on the imperative to engage the key players and leaders of this emerging industry and facilitate discuss that will drive growth and synergy,” said Jadesola Osiberu of Ndani TV.

“It’s very hard to overstate the impact that digital has on our lives at the moment,” Sim Shagaya, chief executive of Konga and DealDey said on the panel discussing ‘Nigeria’s Tech Space: Ecosystem or Bubble?’

The event, which was kicked off with remarks from Lola Odedina, head of the Communications and External Affairs Division, GTBank, had in attendance influential technology leaders including Country Manager of Goggle, Juliet Ehimuan; Co-founder of the Co-Creation Hub, Femi Longe; Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, Gbenga Sesan; CEO of Future Software Resources, Nkemdilim Begho; co-founder ofiROKO TV; Bastian Gotter; founding CEO of Jumia, Tunde Kehinde; Head of Digital Marketing GTBank, Pascal Or, amongst others.

There is a real thirst for knowledge in Nigeria and so we need to invest in our mind economy,” said Emeka Okoye, founder of Open Africa. “To be a tech entrepreneur you must be willing to make sacrifices, because the technology industry is presently at its lowest ebb”

The exclusive cocktail and networking event saw the 100 Tech honourees presented with certificates of recognition,

“You guys – developers, entrepreneurs, stoytellers, funders, designers – you guys are the standard bearers for this new reality,” said Chude Jideonwo, managing partner of RED; owner of Y!,YNaija.com amongst other media brands. “You, the #YTech100, are proof, alive, that anything is possible. So we are here to honour you, and to honour the possibilities. To encourage you to build empires, but also to build the eco-system. We are here to facilitate connections and collaborations. To say well done, and then to say not enough. Yes, we should be proud of where we are – but the real work lies ahead. It is yet morning on creation’s day.”

The event was held as one of major highlights of Social Media Week Lagos 2014.