The Nigerian-British Business Forum has called on the Nigerian government to take urgent steps aimed at addressing the acute shortage of technology infrastructure . The Chairman of the Nigerian British Business Forum, Prince Afolabi Andu, made the call at Nigerian-British Business Forum and Greystone Technologies online conference, themed ‘The role of Technology in a post covid-19 economy’. Andu noted that the past six online conferences held by the organisation could only have been made possible through the use of modern technology, affirming that the process has literally become an integral part of our daily lives. “The world has over the past four months witnessed an unprecedented development in the use and application of modern technology, all this has come about due to the covid-19 pandemic,” Andu said.
He said that the significant development brought about by COVID-19 had repositioned technology globally and exposed the huge gaps that existed among nations in the area of technology infrastructure. He said the Nigerian Government should see the COVID-19 challenge as a ‘blessing in disguise’ and an opportunity to rise to the occasion and seize the opportunity to address the nation’s infrastructural shortage. Accordingly, he said the conference was aimed at exploring the various ways the Nigerian British Business Forum could collaborate with the Nigerian government so as to reposition the technology sector in the post-COVID-19 economy. Chairman of group’s Information Technology sector, Mr Sam Bode- Odeyemi, explained that the very impressive line up of speakers brought about such insightful revelations that would have never been considered impossible in this dispensation.
Ms Abiola Obileye, CEO Synergize Datasoft Technologies, in her speech, challenged the Nigerian business leaders to see the disruptions brought about by COVID-19 in the business landscape as a wake up call. Obileye said “Nigerian business leaders need to leverage technology by adapting to new digital operating models designed to maximise business transformation opportunities, it is very important to cast an eye on the future competitive landscape”. In his keynote address, Mr Kayode Aladesuyi, CEO BBN&K, a notable U.S.-based technology company, expressed the view that “eCommerce will drive the new global economy post-COVID 19, embracing new engagement tools that will add life to the internet and allow technology to bridge the gap between businesses and the customers is the future of ecommerce.” Mr Diran Adeyinka CEO, Gbit Consulting, in his remarks, pointed that the emergence of COVID-19 had created more offsite working in the global IT space than ever before, which is a great opportunity to be tapped into.
“We will create a platform and collaborate with IT resources in Africa for IT related projects in the western world,” he said. In her remarks, Engr Gina Ayoola, CEO, Wavepalm Technology Solutions Ltd spoke passionately on the view that emerging and transforming technology in a post-COVID-19 world had proven to be the start of the “new normal”. “We have seen technology break down the barriers of physical separation. Whether connecting with co-workers, friends and family over online cloud enabled video platforms, using automation and AI to help business processes to continue or using delivery services for basic necessities, we have relied on current technologies and our mobile phones and laptops to make it through this lockdown.” The Nigerian-British Business Forum was primarily set up to achieve a business networking platform for Nigerian-British based business owners in the UK, Nigerian professionals and entrepreneurs passionate about nation-building in Nigeria and the promotion of bilateral business relationship between Britain and Nigeria.
