By Abdi Ali
Leading strategy and investment heads from technology and telecom giants are set to meet in the Nigerian commercial capital, Lagos, to discuss strategies for investment and regional growth.
The TMT Finance Africa meeting on September 20, 2016 will see more than 150 regional and international telecom, media and technology leaders, investment bankers, investors, advisers and government representatives meet for a series of panel debates, networking sessions and private round-table discussions.
Lagos, that is poised to become the technology and investment hub for Africa, will play host to the event for the first time.
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“Nigeria is fast becoming one of the most innovative and dynamic places in the world for technology and mobile connectivity, and we are delighted that household names such as Google, Uber, Intel and Africa Internet Group will be represented at the conference alongside some well-known Nigerian tech and media companies such as Sliide, iRoko and Andela, which is backed by Mark Zuckerberg’s Chan Zuckerberg Initiative,” says Ben Nice, Director of TMT Finance Africa in Lagos. “However, there are still many challenges that some of these companies face, including a lack of access to adequate financing, which is where TMT Finance Africa in Lagos should help to plug the gap and get the dialogue going between the genuine decision makers.”
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Leading investment banks will be represented by institutions such as Standard Bank, Citi, IFC, Barclays, Africa Finance Corporation, Access Bank and FNB, while private equity firms speaking at the conference include: Convergence Partners, African Capital Alliance, ECP and Carlyle.
Innovation and technology investment will form a key part of the agenda, including specific sessions on: Investing in Innovation, eCommerce Africa, Media and Content Strategies, Venture Capital Africa, Connecting the Unconnected, Africa Mobile Payments and Digital Africa.