Nine Nigerian technology innovators and startups have clinched a spot in the semi-final of the Supernova Challenge Pitch Competition organised by North Star Dubai at the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) in United Arab Emirates.
As officially announced by North Star Dubai on its website, the startups are Identity Pass, 9JaCodeKids Academy, Floews, Medtech, Paddycover, Pricepally, LiveBic, Technyon Technologies and Wellness Health Technologies.
While inaugurating the Nigerian pavilion, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami commended the startups for scaling the competition’s preliminary stages and expressed confidence in the ability of the teams to progress to the finals and, hopefully, clinch the ultimate prize.
“Each year, Nigeria has attended the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) because of its enormous benefits, the most critical being the attraction of foreign direct investment,” he said.
Accompanied by the director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mallam Kashifu Abdullahi; the executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta; the director-general of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr Aliyu Aziz; the managing director of Galaxy Backbone, Prof. Muhammed Abubakar, as well as some Nigerian private ICT entrepreneurs, the minister expressed delight in the highest number of startups at the 2022 GITEX.
“We have recorded significant milestones and great accomplishments in our bid to drive Nigeria’s economy digitally and our modest successes are verifiable”.
According to Pantami, in the last three years, the Federal Government has launched several programmes, policies and initiatives that are entrenching the trust between the tech ecosystem and the government towards strengthening the Nigerian digital economy sector.
Similarly, the DG of NITDA, Abdullahi shared same optimism with the minister, as he noted that the Nigerian team will ace the competition and, once again, place the country on the global map.
He urged the tech innovators to ensure they also learn, unlearn and relearn by participating in other sideline events and conferences, in order to build the necessary networks to add value to their craft.
GITEX Global 2022 is a meeting point for technology professionals and enthusiasts. The event is a thrust for the global startup movement which attracts the world’s biggest technology mentors, angel investors and venture capitalists.
Nigerian startups are showcasing their innovative ideas to the world, interacting with other startups from different parts of Asia, Africa and Europe; luring investors to come invest in Nigeria’s fast-growing digital economy.
Supernova Challenge is the biggest pitch competition in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, where startups have opportunity to become the next unicorn, with up to $200,000 in cash prizes up for grabs.
