The founder of the Africa Technology Expo (AT), Nnaemeka Clinton, has called for greater collaboration among African businesses and governments, saying the continent must become more integrated to unlock its innovation and economic potential.

Speaking during his opening remarks at the Africa Technology Expo in Lagos on Friday, Clinton said the event was created to strengthen Africa’s enterprise ecosystem at a time when geopolitical shifts and global changes are making it increasingly difficult for Africans to access opportunities.

He explained that the organisers had reflected on the future of enterprise in Africa and the challenges posed by evolving political and innovation landscapes before establishing this year’s edition of the expo.

“I just want to tell you why we do the work we do and how significant it is to the enterprise ecosystem,” he said.

According to him, the organisers asked themselves what the future of enterprise would look like amid changing geopolitical realities affecting Africans across political, economic and innovation sectors.

“We understand the changing geopolitical landscape. Movement is changing for Africans on all levels. On the political landscape and innovation landscape, this has become a bit tighter for us as Africans,” Clinton said.

He noted that the expo was founded to encourage stronger interaction across the continent by bringing together senior executives, emerging business leaders and multinational companies to foster partnerships and investment opportunities.

“ATE was established for one reason only, which is simple. What happens when we bring together senior executives, emerging leaders and multinational players? What are the kinds of deals or opportunities that can come out of those?” he said.

Clinton described the two-day event as “the home of enterprise technology in Lagos,” adding that previous editions had generated substantial commercial value.

He disclosed that the Africa Technology Expo had facilitated approximately $192 million worth of business deals among participating companies and expressed optimism that this year’s edition would surpass that figure.

“ATE has played a key role in promoting up to $192 million in deals among companies that are present. This year we want to take that up a notch. We have several companies joining us from across the world, including London, Kenya and others, who will be joining us over the next couple of days,” he said.

He encouraged participants to take advantage of the networking opportunities available throughout the event, noting that several sessions and exhibition spaces had already attracted strong interest.

“My advice to everyone is to maximise the opportunity. There are a lot of people to meet and a lot of opportunities to maximise. We have the enterprise stages opening shortly, and the ballroom hall is fully booked,” he said.

Clinton said the event would spotlight business leaders and innovators shaping Africa’s technology industry while exploring how the continent can position itself more competitively on the global stage.

“What we’re doing over the next couple of hours is to have a push for people who are driving the real tech business in Africa, and that is what ATE is all about. More importantly, how does that translate into a global society?” he added.

Beyond technology and business, Clinton also advocated greater freedom of movement across Africa, arguing that travel restrictions continue to limit opportunities for Africans.

“As Africans, our passports are not interesting. The struggle across Africa is tighter than the struggle across other regions, and it is so crazy to realise that,” he said.

He urged African leaders and stakeholders to work towards making the continent more borderless.

“So what we’re going to do as a community is to figure out what we do about our passports and how we go about being more borderless in Africa, being able to travel to other countries in Africa without passports,” Clinton said.

Vanguard News

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